Sleight of Hand
by Angevin1204
Summary: Two Port Charles residents are murdered. Who did it? Includes multiple residents but focuses on Davis Girls (emphasis on SamLexis) and Julexis. Note: the Davis family doesn't show up until Chapter 3, but I promise they're here. I own none of these characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** _This is an Alexis, Samlexis, Julexis, Davis girls-ish, Cassadine story. That said, the Davis girls don't appear until chapter 3. In short, this is not a Kiki fic :)_

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><p>The black patent leather stilettos were in the back of her old closet at her father's place. As she selected the rest of the evening's ensemble she weighed the importance of each piece to the finished outfit, with one eye focused on the clock. Approaching the end of her make-shift fashion show, she thought of her shoes. Approximately twenty-five minutes to get to the abandoned pair, twenty-five minutes to get back home. Add another fifteen of idle chitchat if the wife was there. After completing the mental calculations, she realized she had enough time to get the shoes, get dressed, and set up the romantic rendezvous she was planning with time to spare. The effort seemed too much until she remembered his reaction the last time she wore the shoes; she hadn't been able to move for 30 minutes after the sex they had. Her memory made the argument for her, and she grabbed the keys.<p>

There was an odd glow of colors emanating from his street, and as she turned the corner onto his block she noted the source of the illumination: three police cars and an ambulance in front of her father's building. She was mildly curious at all the excitement, slightly worried that their neighbor on the second floor—the one who took the stairs with her groceries scoffing at both the elevator and her eight or so decades on this earth—may have seen her body succumb finally to her hubris. Momentarily distracted by the coroner's truck that nearly ran her down (and frankly lacking the mental wherewithal to recognize the irony), Lauren needed a few moments to see individuals in the assembled crowd and realize that the hysterical woman talking to her former brother-in-law was that nurse, Rosalie. And that the stains that merely darkened her maroon scrubs were most likely sourced from the same viscous substance that had stained her hands a dark red: blood.

Lauren moved with more urgency until she saw a uniform—any uniform. She grabbed a police officer and asked what happened. The policeman repeated the rote message he had delivered to all the curious tenants of the building, "We are investigating a possible crime. We have nothing to add at this time. Please get behind the yellow tape." In a haze, Lauren moved behind the tape, her eyes searching for Dante's partner—the cop that tried to remove the squatters from her dilapidated brownstone-Nathan was his name. He would talk to her.

-"I heard three pops."

-"Donna said she heard running passed her door."

-"That's where the woman in the wheelchair is, right?"

-"They told us all to stay in our apartments then they made us all leave. I mean, make up your minds. I've got three dozen cupcakes to make for tomorrow-gluten free"

-"Wow. The coroner's truck is here. Do you think it was it him or her?"

-"I heard it was both."

Lauren focused on the din around her, finally understanding that whatever happened probably happened in her father's apartment. She felt the bile rising in her throat. She quickly looked back at Rosalie. Her hysteria was oddly comforting—that nurse hated Silas and would never be this upset if he were injured. Clearly Nina was a victim. But where *was* her father? She scanned the crowd again, looking for the oncologist but this time found that cop Nathan. She burst through the line and grabbed him.

-"My father-he lives on the fourth floor. Is he ok?" Her voice got higher as she started talking faster. "Is it his wife? Did something happen to Nina?"

Nathan looked at her and took a moment to process what she was saying. "I'm not…I'm not working right now. You'll need to talk to someone else." He turned to leave, his dismissive, puzzled and passionless tone infuriating her as she called to his back, "Hey! That's my father's apartment. And you're not going to tell me anything?"

He turned to look at her, his big puppy dog eyes glistening, "Kiki. It's also my sister's apartment. Remember?"

Humiliated by her mistake, she grabbed for his arm. "Nathan," she stammered. I'm so very, very sorry. I just…I just forgot. I'm a bit panicky at the moment. Is Nina OK? Is Silas OK?"

Nathan looked at her and choked out, "My name is James." He turned and walked away from her into the foyer of the building.

Lauren stood confused, not processing much. A clipped British voice called to her, "Ms. Jerome? May I have a word?" The police commissioner guided Lauren by the elbow into the foyer and sat her down in one of the sofas created to be bold in design but not comfort.

-"Ms. Jerome. I have a few questions for you, if that's ok." Taking Lauren's wide-eyed stare as assent, she plowed forward. "When was the last time you spoke with your father?"

-"What did he tell you?" Some innate Jerome gene finally broke through to make itself known. "You know you can't question him without a lawyer present. Has he called his lawyer? Alexis Davis helped him last time. Is she here?"

-"She is not here, Ms. Jerome, and we haven't questioned your father." Anna's soothing tone was buoyed by the fact that she was being honest. Years as a double-agent had taught her that being misleading wasn't really lying. "Can you tell me the last time you spoke with him?"

-"Two days ago."

-"Two days ago. OK. And what was the nature of your conversation?"

-"I…" Lauren hesitated. What did they talk about? Something about Alice and… RAFE. They had talked about Rafe. "I saw him at the hospital. We talked about my cousin, Rafe. My dad said that they'd discovered someone had made him run that family off the road."

-"I see." Anna took a pause, stopping herself from adding 'my family.' She composed herself, recognizing she probably only had one question left before Lauren's shock would wear off and she would ask about her father. "Did your father say if he knew who that person was?"

-"No. He didn't. I think he was going to try and get Sam to help him." Lauren paused for a moment. Her eyes welled with tears seconds before her mind focused on what the Commissioner wasn't saying. "Commissioner, where is my father? Where is Nina?"

Anna looked at the girl and took a deep breath. "Ms. Jerome, at 4:47 pm this afternoon, we received a call to 9-1-1 from neighbors who heard noises coming from your father's apartment. Five minutes later we received a second 9-1-1 call from Rosalie Martinez, your stepmother's nurse. We arrived within 10 minutes of Rosalie's call." Anna paused at the sob that came from Kiki's throat. It cut through the foyer and heads turned to look at Anna and the girl. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Jerome. When we arrived, we found your father, Silas Clay, and his wife, Nina, dead. We are treating this as a crime scene."

The tears fell down Lauren's face, and she waited for Anna's pause before the second sob crawled its way out, followed by all the others waiting in a line in her throat to escape. Anna instinctively embraced the girl, soothing her with a clucking noise that she had used so long ago to quiet her own daughter.

As the sobs paused, Anna looked at Lauren and asked, "Is there anyone you can call?"

-"I can call Michael"

-"Ok. Do you need a phone? You can use mine if—"

-"No. I have mine" As Lauren pulled out her phone, she paused briefly. "Am I free to leave, Commissioner?" she asked quietly.

Anna eyed the girl, an edge of wariness staking out a position next to the compassion in her eyes. "I know this is difficult, but we have a number of questions to ask so we can find who did this to your father. The first hours after a crime are so important."

-"I understand Commissioner. I just—" Lauren struggled for the right words. "I know this is going to be on the news. And there are people who loved my father—they shouldn't find out on the news."

Anna recognized she had no grounds to hold the girl. But she couldn't risk her leaving and informing family and friends—one of whom was most likely the killer based purely on the laws of probability...and Silas and Nina's known social circles. "I would prefer if you waited here, Ms. Jerome. Or if it's too crazy here for you, I can have Det. Falconieri escort you to the station. Any or all of your loved ones are welcome to meet us there."

-"But am I a suspect, Commissioner? Because if I'm not I'm pretty sure I can leave." Anna sighed. She highly doubted that this dilettante who couldn't even shoot her mouth off properly could have shot the two upstairs. But she couldn't risk her warning the actual killer. Then again, the killer knew they'd found the body. It would be all over the local news which currently airing. Point of fact: a few of the TV vans outside were now flanked by spotlight-covered personalities delivering live reports from the "grisly downtown double murder." Weighing her options, Anna decided letting Lauren leave now would do little damage and may make her more cooperative later.

-"You are not a suspect as of this moment," Anna conceded. "But in the interest of finding the killer as quickly as possible, I ask that you meet me at the PCPD later this evening, so we can figure out who may have wanted your father and his wife dead."

The timeline seemed fair to Lauren. She wanted to catch the killer as badly as the police did. Well…maybe she did. She stood up…too quickly and almost fell down again. Anna looked at her with concern. "Are you sure you want to leave? Should we take you to the hospital, Ms. Jerome? You're in shock."

-"No." Lauren answered, "I'll be fine." Recognizing the same symptoms as Anna, Lauren leaned against the building to stay upright as she pulled up her Uber-app, giving a pickup address that was a block down the street. She had seven minutes to pull herself together and walked down to the coffeeshop to wait for her ride.


	2. Chapter 2

-"I can't believe you watched it without me," Julian pouted.

-"What did you expect? You can leave…go to the zoo, walk the docks, stalk former lovers…"

-"I don't stalk"

-"Sorry, big brother. 'Ensure her safety' Do you feel better?" The long silence provided Ava with her answer.

-"So." He finally spoke. "How far ahead are you?"

-"I'm on episode seven"

-"SEVEN? Why did you insist we watch this together? I'm still on TWO"

-"Because I'm here ALL DAY, Julian. I finished 'Veronica Mars' yesterday, and I had nothing to do."

-"What about the book you were reading? That one about the missing wife?"

-"Ugh. I put it down. I saw the twist from a mile away. If you asked me, there were far cleverer ways to do it." She paused and added a tone of apology to her voice. Her brother was particularly mopey lately. A self-pitying Julian was her least favorite Julian, mostly because of the careful handling required. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't realize 'Terriers' was that addictive. I mean NO ONE watched it."

-"OK. Just don't tell me anything. At all."

-"Well, we can't watch it now. I mean, I've already seen them."

-"So what's left, Ava? You're going to do this with everything aren't you?" Julian's tone shifted from frustration to compromise. "Why don't we try this. What show are you DYING to watch?"

-"Six Feet Under. I always heard it was good, but never saw it."

-"OK. So you watch that one when you're in the apartment alone. And then when we're both here…I don't know. Have you seen 'Deadwood'?"

-"No. And no real interest. That's perfect. Let's try and share that one."

-"Fine." Julian gave his sister the bowl of ziti he made, and searched for the first episode on his HBO GO. The knock followed by a wide open door interrupted his search.

One of "Luke's" men strode in. "Excuse me. You all have a visitor." Ava looked at Julian, who offered a slight shrug; he wasn't expecting anyone either. The mystery was short-lived as a tiny thing stomped around the bodyguard and stared daggers at her mother through a tear-stained face.

-"Kiki?"

-"Was it you, Mom?"

Ava stared at her daughter as her brother took in the scene. Normally, one or the other would have asked him to leave. But Kiki's anger obliterated everything in the room except for her mother. And Ava was clearly focused on formulating a response. Julian decided the best course of action was to get comfortable, because a show was about to start.

-"Sweetheart, I don't know what you're talking about. Was *what* me?" Ava questioned, buying time as she mentally inventoried which of her lies her daughter may have uncovered.

-"Dad. Nina. Was it you?"

Ava paused, lost. "Kiki…did something happen to Silas?"

-"He's dead," she sobbed, opening up a new fountain of waterworks.

Julian sat straighter at this new information, sharply looking at his sister as she crossed the room to embrace the girl whose tears were rapidly devolving into hysterics.

-"Oh baby," Ava cooed. "Kiki, he's dead? I'm so sorry, baby. What happened?'

Kiki clutched her mother more tightly, burying her face into her mother's shoulder. "They're both dead. Silas and Nina."

Julian's temporary shock at his sister's maternal instinct quickly evaporated at the news that both Silas AND his wife were dead. One could be an accident. Two were foul play. Silas's wife was certainly batshit enough to take out her husband before ending her own life, but something about how Kiki questioned her mother made him doubt that was the case.

Ava took her daughter's blubbering face in her hands and stared into her daughter's eyes, "Baby. I loved your Dad. But more importantly, *you* love your Dad. I would never, *never* do anything to hurt you like that." She pulled her daughter back to her chest.

Julian felt a rising tide of panic as he looked at Ava. He didn't know if he entirely bought that Ava would never hurt Kiki, but he definitely believed she hadn't killed Silas. He cleared his throat and spoke for the first time since his niece entered the room.

-"Kiki," he started gently, "why do you think someone killed Silas and Nina?"

Kiki raised her head and threw him a look. "Because the coroner was removing their bodies. Because the Commissioner wants me to meet her at the PCPD later to answer questions about my father and who may have wanted him dead."

-"Shit," Julian whispered. He looked at his sister, whose look changed from questioning to understanding. "Kiki, I'm sorry about your Dad. I'll give you and your mother some privacy."

-"You don't need to leave," Kiki offered, suddenly ashamed of her harsh tone. Her uncle was just trying to help.

-"Yes. I kind of do." Julian grabbed his keys, as he rushed out the door.

Lauren turned back to her mother. "What did he mean by 'I kind of do'?"

Ava looked at her daughter wondering not for the first time if she had sheltered her too much-if overprotection left her daughter without the survival instincts she'd need to make it on her own. "Sweetheart, you just came in and told us your father and his wife were murdered."

-"Wait, did Julian DO it?" Lauren's eyes widened.

Ava sighed, "No. He didn't do it. We've been here bickering for the last two hours. But think, sweetie. Where do you think he'd go?" she prodded gently as she tucked a lock of hair behind her daughter's ear.

Lauren struggled trying to piece together the puzzle her mother put in front of her. And then her eyes lit up with the pride of having solved it. "Sam. He'd want to tell Sam. She loved Silas so, she'll be so upset. Wow, Mom. I guess Julian really does feel something for her. He wants to make sure she doesn't hear about it on the news."

-"Yes, I'm surprised by his fatherly instincts, too." And Ava would have been surprised if that's why Julian rushed to Sam's. But she and her brother knew immediately what would probably take Lauren another three weeks to figure out: Sam was the mistress. Sam was the woman scorned. And that meant Sam was the number one suspect. Julian hadn't gone to break the news to his daughter; he'd gone to make sure she was lawyered up before the cops arrived.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam paused outside the door to the penthouse, taking a deep breath before she opened the door. These last few seconds of solitude would fortify her before she walked into a sea of angst and tension that had driven out all the serenity that used to occupy her home.

She loved her mother. She loved her sister. But not together, not lately.

Obviously the relationship was fractured before the lake house was destroyed; 16-year olds usually don't move in with a relative. But since the reduction of her home to a pile of ashes, Molly was messianic in her indignation. Everything was Julian's fault. And each barb, offhanded comment or prolonged silence pricked her mother, drawing blood.

Not that Julian wasn't responsible. As he stripped the cloak of legitimacy, he also tore away her mother's armor. Molly's words caused such pain because Alexis had no quills or defenses; she was all soft underbelly now. And that seemed to infuriate Molly more.

Looking at the two, Sam should be more concerned about her mother. Short-term that was probably true. But this new Molly—this was disturbing. It's was as if she had inherited the worst parts of each of her parents. This passionate hatred of Julian, railing against a cause like Joan of Arc? Sam recognized it from Kristina's illness and the subsequent custody battle—that trait was pure Alexis. But whereas Alexis had suffered defeats and understood where to withdraw and pragmatically adapt to the new world order, Molly myopically continued on in battle fueled by the pain of not being chosen, obliterating everything in her wake. And that trait? That was pure Ric.

Sam believed that a few revelations about Ric or Uncle Sonny would do a world of good for Molly, but Alexis forbade it. She didn't want her daughter to lose more than she already had, but Sam felt the immediate gain was only contributing to a longer-term loss. Molly needed to get knocked over because of a choice she made, to learn that she wasn't always right—to negotiate a peace afterwards and live with it. But given all her sister had lost this summer, Sam just didn't have the heart to do it.

And what was left of Sam's heart was so fragile right now. The loss of Silas wasn't as visceral as the loss of Jason, but it was painful. He had been a symbol that things were looking up, that the struggle of the past few years was over. But they were finished now, and all the hope she had transferred into their relationship had evaporated with it.

So Sam sought refuge in her solitude and spending late afternoons outside of her penthouse. Sometimes she'd take Danny to the park, but today she had gone back to the lake house. She sat on what was left of the dock and looked out over the water. The house itself represented both good and bad memories. But most importantly it was the place where she had found her mother. And not her identity—her relationship with Alexis. The place where she learned how to be a daughter to a woman that-quite frankly—she hadn't liked at all. This is where the comforting rhythms of mother and daughter were cemented, where the bond became irrevocable. Julian's lies cost her the physical manifestation of that, but not the memory. In terms of the price she'd had to pay in her life, the loss of a house was fair for the gain of a mother and father. She was certain they'd get through it, a little wounded and worse for wear. It would be hard to navigate, but they would do it. It was the journey that made her wary, not the destination.

Sure she could no longer delay the inevitable, Sam finally put the key into the lock and turned. Molly sat at the table, typing feverishly on her laptop.

-"Hey Molls. Where's Danny?"

-"Upstairs with Mom."

Sam took a moment to process this piece of information. "Why aren't they down here? There's more room for him to play."

-"Just give me onnnneee sec" Molly pounded the last keys before she looked up. "Sorry—what did you say?"

-"I asked why they're not down here. There's more room for him to play down here."

Molly shrugged, "I don't know. Mom came home and I told her I had a paper to type. She stopped trying to talk to me and just said she'd be upstairs with Danny." Sam had no doubt that the slight tone of disgust she heard in her sister's voice was amplified for Alexis and the reason for her mother's hasty retreat upstairs.

Sam thought of her mother upstairs locked in a room with her son while her sister had taken over the entire first floor. "Look. I know school is back in session, but we bought that desk in your room so you could get your work done in peace. This place isn't as big enough for you to take the entire floor. If you need quiet to do work, please do it in your room." Sam's voice was a little sharper than she'd meant for it to be. She turned to walk up the stairs. "What do you want to do about dinner?" she asked in a conciliatory tone.

-"Can we do Kelly's? I really REALLY can't do Chinese again tonight. TJ's supposed to come over later, so he can bring it."

-"Sure," Sam smiled. "I'll check and see what Mom wants."

* * *

><p>Sam reached her son's room to find a giant fort of bed linens and pillows erected in the middle. She burst out laughing "Mom, are you in here?"<p>

Alexis popped up from behind the sheet she had stretched across Danny's room, startling Sam. "I am! Welcome to our zoo fort. Apparently we are protecting the animals *from* the zoo? I'm not sure of all the logic yet. I'm just the contractor on this project. You'll need to check with the architect," she added giggling.

-"Ummm…Okkkkayyyy. Hey kiddo! How was your day?"

Danny smiled at his mother and immediately launched into an explanation of his zoo fort vision. He was loquacious. He was earnest. He was incomprehensible. At one point he turned to his grandmother and gravely stated "lion. Gamma."

Alexis turned to her eldest. "Yes, so the lions are lined up in the front and they're apparently protecting Nemo and the elephant. We were very insistent on the lions in front, weren't we Danny?"

-"Wow, Danny. That was really smart," his mother crowed. "But you know what buddy? It's bathtime. How about we let Grandma put the animals night night so they're safe in their beds?" Sam's efforts at rationalizing with her son were a waste of time as he was already halfway to the bathroom. "Ahhh," said Alexis. "You had him at 'bathtime.' I'll clean up in here." She nodded at the bedding. "This is supposed to be on my bed, anyway."

-"Great. Oh, and can you order from Kelly's? Molly said TJ was coming over. She wants the usual. So do I."

-"On it."

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><p>Alexis retreated to her room and placed the order. She threw the linens on the chair and started with the fitted sheet. The first corner was tucked in, but immediately came free as she struggled with the second. At first she giggled at the error, but as her efforts continued to yield no progress the slapstick element turned sad. It was an easier job with two people. She and Molly used to do this together; then she had Julian to help her. But now both were absent, one emotionally the other physically. Alexis continued to struggle but it wasn't until she felt the first tear hit her cheek that she bunched the sheets together and threw them with all the force she could muster at the bed, "DAMMIT."<p>

It had been such a good day. She'd had some complicated contracts that distracted her and then she had a solid hour and a half with Danny where she laughed quite a bit. But now she stood there with the familiar feeling of being blown apart. Like the sole purpose of her skin was to prevent all the broken pieces inside her from spilling out onto the floor. She needed a time out. With Molly's presence rendering the first floor hostile territory and Sam and Danny otherwise engaged, Alexis looked around the room for something to occupy herself. "Cold shower," she said aloud and headed to her bathroom.

* * *

><p>Sam descended the stairs to find Molly setting the table. "TJ called. He's leaving now—should be here soon. We're going to try and make the 8:30 movie. Is Danny in bed?"<p>

-"Yeah. He expended whatever energy he had left in the tub." Sam looked at her sister and changed her tone, "Hey. I'm sorry I snapped at you before. I just…I don't know."

-"No, it's my fault. I'm sorry. We're crowded here. I wasn't thinking at all. When I started the paper I was the only one home, and then I lost track of time. I'll be more considerate—I promise." Molly hesitated a second, "So…I hear the shower…"

-"Yeah. Mom's in the shower again." Molly rolled her eyes, "well, she's definitely the cleanest parent in history." Sam looked at her sister and audibly sighed. She had such high hopes since she'd been home—Alexis was giggling, Molly had just apologized. It was probably too much to hope for really.

Molly felt a little guilty about the dig at her mother. She and Sam both knew that the frequent showers were not about hygiene but a way to mask the crying. Looking to ease the tension, she decided to change the subject. "So what were you up to today? You were gone for a while."

"Working on a new case. Had to do a stakeout over by the mall." Sam didn't like lying to her sister but it was easier than sharing she'd been to the lake house. If there was any hope of salvaging this evening it would have been immediately destroyed by mentioning their former home.

-"Oooh. What kind of case?"

-"You know. Standard surveillance." Sam was rescued from further lying by a knock at the door. "I'll get it," she said, thankful for TJ's timing.

Sam was so relieved for the reprieve she didn't even look through the peephole. So there was quite a bit of surprise in her voice as she greeted their visitor.

-"Wow. Julian?"


	4. Chapter 4

Julian had already rapped on the door once before he realized he needed a plan of attack. He had yet to think through how he was going to get into the apartment, especially if Molly answered. The hallway was no place to share the news but as the knob turned, he vowed he'd say whatever was needed to cross the threshold.

-"Wow. Julian?"

His relief at seeing his daughter was quickly replaced with panic. Julian was on a mission to make sure Sam was protected. But he hadn't quite thought out the steps required to get from this side of the door to his daughter safe from the police. He had forgotten that to shield his daughter he would need to tell her why she needed shielding, and that required breaking the news about Silas.

Julian never liked Silas. He was arrogant, and he was married. His callous treatment of his daughter's feelings and reputation had enraged Julian. But as Alexis had reminded him time and again, Sam didn't need him butting into her life. She could handle it on her own.

But now when he looked at Sam—her mother's eyes looking back at him—he knew he lacked the deft touch required to break the news of her lover's death.

-"Sam. Hi"

-"What are you doing here, Julian?"

-"I need to speak to your mother. Five minutes."

-"Julian, you can't come here looking for her. You need to leave her alone. Please."

Sam's response at least confirmed Alexis was around. Julian realized that each second he stood in the hallway reduced his chances of getting into the penthouse. And he had to get to Alexis. Left without good options, Julian picked the one he'd regret least.

He barged in passed Sam, "I understand, but it's really important. Alexis?" he called into the penthouse. "She's upstairs right?"

-"You can't just barge in here." Molly's indignation announced her emergence from the kitchen.

-"Hi Molly," dismissed Julian. He started barreling up the stairs. "Look Sam, just five minutes." Sam followed him, whispering his name harshly trying to stop him without waking up her son.

Julian had only been upstairs once. He used process of elimination and the light under a door to guide him as he gently knocked and opened it before he could be denied entry.

Everything stopped when he saw her: his breath, his heart, his forward motion. Without a warning as to her father's intentions, Sam crashed into him from behind propelling him another six inches into the room.

-"Mom, I'm sorry. I tried to stop him. Please Julian, you need to leave."

Alexis hadn't moved since he entered. She was in a t-shirt and yoga pants, hair up and still wet. She peered at Julian over the edge of her glasses, a book opened on her lap. She was thinner. Her eyes lacked their sparkle and humor—they were perched dully atop dark circles. Her whole body was tense.

As he took her in, Julian was overwhelmed with self-loathing. His breathing came harder as the silent recriminations started: He never should have pursued her. He never should have tried to leave the mob. He never should have lied to her. He loved her more than he had loved anything in his life. And he broke her.

Sam looked back and forth between her parents and immediately recognized that breakup notwithstanding, their story wasn't over. Yet with Molly downstairs, Danny asleep and her mother's psyche of late, it seemed unwise to write another chapter tonight. She gently gripped Julian's arm to guide him out of the room. "Dad," she begged quietly, "please."

His daughter's words broke not only the silence but Julian's trance. "Alexis, I need five minutes."

-"Julian," Alexis's voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't think—"

-"It's not about us, Alexis. I need five minutes. Please."

Sam started to interject, but was quickly shut down by her mother. "It's OK, Sam." Alexis took off her glasses and peered at Julian for what felt like hours, trying to make up her mind. "You have five minutes."

-"Mom, do you want me to stay?"

Alexis broke her gaze away from Julian and turned to Sam. "No sweetheart. It will be fine." Julian nodded but turned to Sam as if it was an afterthought. "Sam, I'll be down in five minutes, and I need you to promise me something. If someone knocks on the door, let Molly answer it."

-"Huh?"

-"Trust me, sweetheart."

Sam stood agape for a moment, realization dawning: there was danger. "What do you mean 'trust you'? You just barged into my apartment and now you're telling me not to open my own front door."

-"I can explain. I just need five minutes with your mother first."

Her anger was building. "Julian. My son lives here. My sister and mother live here. Whatever you're doing has nothing to do with us. You need to leave now." Sam was livid. Her father brought whatever shit he'd gotten himself into straight to their front door. Lucas's shooting and the lake house weren't the end of it. Molly was right: it was never going to end as long as Julian was around. His failure to move only enraged her more.

-"I'm not kidding 'Dad'—get the hell out of my house."

-"Sam. It's not like that," Julian was on his heels. He threw a pleading look to Alexis who quietly watched the two. "Alexis, please."

-Alexis stared right into Julian's eyes, wondering if she would be able to tell if he was lying. She never had before.

-"Julian, is anyone in physical danger right now?" Alexis asked.

-"No."

-"And you don't want to talk about us?"

-"I do, but no. Not now. It's different and urgent. I promise you Alexis, no one is endangered by my presence here. Please."

-"OK." Alexis turned to her daughter, "Sam, this is your house. I'd like to speak to your father for five minutes here if you are comfortable with his presence. If not, we can leave."

Sam stared at her father. If there was safety within these walls, she certainly didn't want her mother outside of them. "You have five minutes. FIVE, Julian. And I'm timing you." She left the room and closed the door with a little more force than she intended.

Julian stared at Alexis. He wanted to start talking but found his mouth suddenly dry.

-"Clock's ticking, Julian," she said quietly.

-"Alexis. God—"

She interrupted him. "Let's just focus on why you're here. You said it's not about us. I'm assuming that means that there's another threat," she said resignedly. "So who did you piss off this time, Julian?"

-"That's not it Alexis. Look. I needed to see you because Sam may be in trouble."

Alexis perked up a bit. "Why is she in danger, Julian? What have you done?"

-"You're not listening," Julian's frustration was building. He was doing this completely wrong. "I didn't say she was in danger. I said she was in trouble."

-"Ahhh. Well, no one can parse language like a journalist. Except for maybe a lawyer." Alexis cocked her head to the side, "So, why is our girl in trouble?"

-"Silas Clay was murdered today. As was Nina."

Alexis's body straightened as though she was propelling the "WHAT?" that wrenched from her body into the room. "Wait, how? How do you know this Julian?" She got off the bed and walked to him, preparing for a cross-examination in her bedroom.

-"Kiki came to the apartment. She told Ava and accused her of the murder in her own roundabout way."

-"Did she do it? Did Ava kill them?"

-"No. She was with me all afternoon. There's no way Ava is putting out a hit on those two. She's too shrewd and she has her hands full with Sonny and…"

-"Sonny and? And who?"

-"The baby." The best lies have a grain of truth, and Julian's managed to satisfy her.

-"We can table why she has her hands full with Sonny for another day." Alexis crossed the room and looked at him, arms folded across her chest. "So Sam's trouble—it's that they're dead. Why didn't you just tell her, Julian? Why did you have to talk to me?"

Julian looked at her. "Because I'm not known for my gentle delivery of sensitive topics. It's going to hurt her. Coming from me will make it more painful whereas-"

-"-whereas coming from me will make it easier?" Alexis sighed, tears starting to well for her daughter as the dread started to build. "She just moved on from Jason. She finally took her ring off. God, no matter how hard she tries our baby cannot catch a break."

-"Alexis, there's more."

-"What?"

-"Alexis, Sam's former lover and his wife were murdered today—"

-"—and she's going to be a suspect" For the second time in as many minutes, Alexis finished a thought for him.

-"I have to ask you. I know the answer already, but I need to confirm it so I can prepare—could she have done it?"

Alexis stared at him, "Of course not, Julian. Of course she wouldn't have done it. How can you even ask that?"

-"Look Alexis, I'm not asking because I'm judging her. I'm only asking so I can get her out of here if we have to."

The room was quiet. Alexis looked at him hard. For all the horror she expressed at his choice of employment, she had many of the same instincts. If she thought for one second Sam did this she'd have her on a Cassadine plane to a country without an extradition treaty so quickly it would defy the laws of time and space.

-"I understand," Alexis said quietly. She shifted her body further away from him, seeking to use greater physical distance to mitigate against the instinctive closeness she felt.

She put her hands to her forehead for a moment and when she raised her head it was clear she had switched gears. "OK. I need to talk to Sam. I need to tell her about Silas and to—" She paused for a moment looking at Julian no longer as a former lover or father of her daughter, but as a witness who could be subpoenaed. "-and to ask about her day," she finished.

Julian caught her knowing look. Message received. "What do you want me to do?"

-"I want you to go downstairs and send Sam up. I want you to stay there until we come down. If the doorbell rings you answer it and send Molly to get us. No one enters this house unless I'm present." She smirked, "I'm assuming you can use your unique brand of antagonistic charm to distract any officers at the door until Molly fetches me."

"That's fine with me, Alexis. You know I'll do anything for Sam. But what about Molly? She's not going to be too happy about having to sit in the living room with me."

For the first time since she left Danny's room, a genuine smile spread across Alexis's face. "I'm not concerned, Julian. I think you two have earned some quality alone time." Her next comment dismissed him. "Oh, and Julian? Give Sam a dollar before you send her up."

-"A dollar?"

-"My retainer."


	5. Chapter 5

Alexis waited for the door to shut before she exhaled. She was energized for the first time in weeks. It would have been unfair to say that none of it was due to Julian's arrival; their familiar rhythms and his physical presence would always form a connection that breathed life into her. But Alexis didn't *feel* like being fair to Julian: she attributed her boost solely to the adrenaline rush that accompanied defending her daughters.

She inventoried her current ensemble and quickly moved to her closet. For appearances sake, she'd need to appear casual—like they hadn't been expecting the police at their front door. And no mistake, they were coming. Well, they were coming unless they already had a suspect in custody, but Julian was fairly sure they hadn't. She briefly considered and rejected turning on the TV to the local news to confirm. But the last thing she needed was Sam walking in on the coverage and finding out about Silas that way.

Alexis settled on the smarter side of casual, something that provided a little reminder that she was the attorney who wiped the floor with PCPD evidence and cases on numerous occasions—that she was not to be trifled with. She figured she probably had about three more minutes of Sam questioning Julian before she emerged at the door. Makeup? Hair? Alexis looked in the mirror and opted for the latter. The conversation she was about to have with her daughter would ruin any mascara she may throw on. She would have to rely on her glasses to cover any evidence of crying.

As Alexis struggled with her hair, she shifted her thoughts to Silas. She couldn't believe he was dead, but she wasn't left bereft by his passing either. He had done some dishonorable things to her daughter: he had ripped Rafe from her and lied to her repeatedly throughout their relationship. Yet in spite of this, Sam restructured her life to help clear his name, using every tool at her disposal including her mother. And then when his wife came back mere hours after he professed his love for Sam, Silas cast her daughter aside like a mistress, a one-night stand. He chose the easy path instead of the hard one. It was reminiscent of Sonny and Ric, and Alexis was relieved that Sam and he split up. Her daughter deserved far better, a man with strength of conviction and character who would put her first and fight for her when things were hard. That was how Sam loved—why should her partner give any less?

But in spite of her feelings about Silas as a partner for her daughter, Alexis could not hate him or dismiss his passing for one incontrovertible fact: he had saved her grandson. Had he not seen the rash or run the tests or helped them find the right treatment the room down the hall would be empty, haunted by the absence of Danny. And this house was haunted enough.

* * *

><p>Julian made his way downstairs and was confronted by a set of mini-Alexis twins complete with arms crossed and body language that flashed in neon "VERY VERY ANGRY." He stood at the foot of the stairs and was silent, waiting to see who would start first. Normally, he would have bet on Molly, but she would have started in on him by now. He guessed she was deferring to her older sister. Yes, the safe money was on Sam.<p>

-"You've had your five minutes, now get out Julian." Sam's target of scorn smugly congratulated himself for selecting his daughter.

-"Your mother would like to see you upstairs, Sam." He reached into his back pocket to remove his wallet. "She asked me to stay here until you come down. And she asked me to give you this."

Sam looked at the dollar he had handed her. "What's this?"

-"Just take it with you. I'll be here when you're done."

-"I don't think I want you here, Julian. I think you should probably leave."

-"Sam, please," he looked at his daughter in the eye. "I know that you don't trust me, and I know that I've given you no reason to. But please trust your mother. She wants what's best for you, and she's asked that I stay until you both come downstairs."

Sam looked at her father. "Fine. I trust Mom." She added begrudgingly, "You can stay until we come down."

Molly stared at Sam, mouth slightly open, stunned by this turn in the conversation. "Sam. Seriously? How can you think this is OK?"

-"Molly, I'm doing as Mom asked," Sam sighed. "Look, I don't know what's happening and you don't either. Two people do. One of whom I trust implicitly."

-"This is ridiculous. Of *course* she's siding with Julian over your wishes. I'm not staying in the same room with him. I'm going to my room to work on my paper."

Julian raised an eyebrow at Molly and realized why Alexis had given him that little smile at the thought of him spending time with her youngest. Clearly this was a shared punishment.

-"Molly, your Mom asked that you stay down here with me until they both return," Julian stated flatly.

-"That's ridiculous." Molly rolled her eyes. "I have no intention of staying in the same room as the man responsible for my father's death."

-"Molly, PLEASE." Sam's raised voice stopped her younger sister dead in her tracks. "Julian is here. Mom asked him to stay. The one person in the whole world she LEAST wants to see except possibly for Helena. Something is going on. You just need to sit here. You can finish your paper at the table. Just keep your back to him and pretend he's not here."

For the second time in a day, Molly felt chastened by Sam's tone. "OK. I'll stay, but I'm not talking to him." That was as good a compromise as Sam was going to get. Sam walked to her sister and gave her a hug, whispering into her ear, "Thank you. I know it's hard, but it's only for a little while." Releasing Molly, Sam turned and headed up the stairs.

Julian waited until Sam was out of earshot before alerting Molly to her mother's next instruction. "One more thing, Molly: I'm the only one allowed to answer the door."

* * *

><p>Sam knocked lightly on her mother's door, anxious about what awaited her on the other side.<p>

-"Come on in, sweetheart."

As her father had been earlier, Sam too was shocked by her mother's appearance. Only this time Alexis was dressed as though she were heading out. Confusion set in. Was she going on a date with Julian? Did he talk her into this? Sam wasn't sure that the two of them sharing any time alone was a great idea at this point.

-"Mom? Are you OK? What's going on?"

Alexis smiled sadly at her daughter. "Did Julian give you something for me?"

Sam nodded, "I almost forgot, he asked me to give you this. Why didn't you just get it from him when he was here?"

-"We'll get to the dollar in a minute. But first I need to talk to you about something."

Alexis's tone electrified the hairs on the back of Sam's neck. "You're scaring me, Mom. Did something happen?" Her mother looked like she was trying to find the best way to share terrible news. The quiet was just making it worse. "Mom, just tell me."

Alexis put her hand on Sam's back and gently began stroking up and down; it was a maneuver her mother had used to soothe Danny multiple times. But right now it was anything but comforting—it was a bellwether of bad tidings.

-"Sam, Julian heard some news today."

-"OK. What did he hear?" Sam's voice was very small. Alexis edged closer to her daughter on the bed.

-"Silas died today, baby."

-"What?"

-"Silas passed away this afternoon"

-"What does that mean?" Sam's face contorted in puzzlement as she tried to reorder her mother's words in a way that made sense.

-"It means he's gone, baby. He's dead."

Sam shot up and started pacing. The pacing fueled the tears that in turn fueled a manic monologue of questions and exclamations.

-"That's not right. How is he passed away? That's ridiculous. He's healthy; he's fine. I mean he's a doctor for God's sakes. He WORKS in a hospital. If there were something wrong with him someone would have seen it. HE would have seen it. Remember how he saw Danny's rash and knew it was cancer?"

Alexis started to answer before it became clear that Sam's question was rhetorical. She continued to watch her daughter spin, looking for her moment to jump in.

-"So there's no way he's dead. Where would Julian have even HEARD that? Who would go to Julian? Why wouldn't anyone come to me?"

-"He heard from Kiki."

-"What did he hear from Kiki?"

-"He heard that Silas was dead. That he had been murdered."

Murder. And suddenly Sam believed her mother. She started pacing even faster and raged through her tears, "It was that bitch, wasn't it. That INSANE bitch he's married to. She did it, didn't she? She killed him?"

-"No, baby. I don't think she did."

-"Why would you say that, Mom? She had motive: her husband cheated on her 20 years ago when she entered her coma. And lo and behold, she wakes up 20 years later and he's cheating on her with someone else. Have you seen her, Mom? Talked to her? She's crazy. She's batshit crazy."

-"Baby, I'm not saying she didn't have motive. I'm saying she didn't kill him because Nina is dead, too."

That stopped Sam's pacing. "What?" she asked in a puzzled tone, her eyebrow raised in confusion. "How are they both dead?"

-"Someone killed them both, baby."

Sam collapsed on the bed and the tears started to fall. Alexis wrapped her arms around her daughter and rocked her, the tears streaming down her face and comingling with the ones on Sam's cheek.

-"Who would do this? Who would kill him? Oh God, Mom. Oh God, I loved him. How is he gone?" The sobs racked through her body as Alexis tried to absorb them.

-"I know sweetheart. I know, it's so unfair."

-"I thought it would be fine. He's a doctor, Mom. How does someone murder a pediatric oncologist? I can't believe this is happening again. AGAIN. He was the safe one, how is he murdered? Who would do this?"

Alexis continued to rock her until the spasms reduced to manageable levels. Sam lifted her tear-streamed face from her mother's shoulder. She wiped her nose on the back of her hand. "I'm sorry. I just…ugh I don't have a kleenex. Do you have one?"

Her mother jumped and grabbed the box of tissues from the bathroom. Sam's breathing was evening out.

-"I'm asking you who would do it, and the obvious answer is Ava, right? I mean she loves him. She was his mistress." Sam sighed, and added in a softer, thoughtful tone, "but Julian wouldn't be here if Ava did it. Well, he may be here, but he wouldn't have barged in. And he wouldn't still be downstairs."

Alexis stared at her daughter, content to let her finish her train of thought.

-"And look at you. I thought you and Dad were going on a date. I was afraid you were giving in," Sam laughed a little sadly. "But you're not dressed up for Dad, are you?"

Alexis shook her head slowly.

-"No, you're dressed up for someone else. Julian's downstairs because we're expecting company, aren't we?"

Alexis nodded her head.

-"Ava isn't the only mistress that Silas had that loved him. That dollar? That was your retainer, right?"

-"Yes," Alexis whispered.

Sam broke out into fresh sobs. "Mom, I never would do this. I would never kill him."

-"Of course not, baby. I don't think that. Your father doesn't think that. But we don't know details and until we do, we have to think like the police. And right now, you're a very easy suspect."

-"I know."

-"Sam, honey, there's a good chance the police are coming tonight. I'll be here with you, but I have to ask you a question, OK."

-"Ye- Yes" a new series of sobs blubbered out of Sam.

-"Baby, what did you do today?"

-"This morning, I met with Pa- Patrick, to see if we could brainstorm who could have forced Rafe into running them off the road."

-"When you say this morning…"

-"I'm s-s-sorry. I know you need a timeline." Sam sat up and took a deep breath. She peered through her swollen eyes at her mother and extended her hand towards the tissue box, wiggling her fingers. Alexis handed her a kleenex. Sam blew her nose.

She took a second deep breath. "I left this morning at around 8. Patrick and I met for breakfast at Kelly's. We were there until about 9:30 when we left to investigate a couple of potential leads in Patrick's case."

-"OK. Did you go to Silas's?"

-"Not today. But I was there yesterday." Alexis made a mental note to explore that avenue later.

-"So what leads were you following today?"

-"We were trying to find Rafe's dealer. At around 2, Patrick went to pick up Emma from camp. I got back here around 2:30. I played with Danny until about 3:30, then I put him down for a nap." Anticipating her mother's next question she added, "Molly was home around 3. She played with the two of us for a bit before she went to do her paper. I was bored in the house and Molly was here in case Danny woke up, so I left."

-"OK. Where did you go?"

Sam was quiet and she looked up at her mother. "I went for a drive. I thought about going to the mall, but it was a beautiful day today. It wasn't too humid, and it wasn't too hot, you know?"

-"Yes. It was lovely, especially for August."

-"Right. So I went to the lake."

Alexis looked at her. "You mean you went to the lake house?"

-"Yes."

-"OK. What time did you get there?"

-"I don't know. Four maybe?"

-"Did anyone see you, Sam?"

-"No, Mom. No one is out there. No one saw me at all."

-"OK." Alexis knew she had to hide the uneasiness she was feeling. "What time did you leave."

-"I came straight home, so I don't know. Maybe 6?"

Alexis looked at her daughter. "Honey what did you do at the lake for two hours?"

-"I had the files for Rafe's case. I looked at those for a while. And then with whatever time was left, I kind of zoned out thinking."

-"OK, sweetheart. That's enough for now. This is what I want you to do. I want you to go and lie down for a bit. I need to talk to your father for a few minutes, and then I'll come up and sit with you if you want."

-"But what if the police come?"

-"You're not in any shape to talk to them right now. Why don't we see how you feel when they get here? If you still can't talk to them, I'll make an appointment for the morning. Now you just lie down."

Sam looked up at her mother and threw her arms around her neck. "Thank you, Mom."


	6. Chapter 6

Julian stretched out on the couch and glanced at Molly over his shoulder. She was staring at her computer screen, pretending to work. In reality she was fuming. Julian had no problem sitting through the tension in the room—this was like a massage compared to some of his afternoons with Ava. But Julian needed information, and the TV was the best way to get it. Unfortunately, that meant telling Molly what happened to Silas first, and he was unsure of the wisdom of that particular course of action.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock. He slowly stood up and sauntered his way over to the door. "Molly, when you hear me talk to the police, I need you to go upstairs and get your mother."

-"Police? Why are the police coming here?"

-"Look. This will all be clear in about 10 minutes. But for now, I need you to promise me that you'll get her."

Molly stared at him, "Maybe I prefer if the police have their way with you withOUT benefit of counsel."

Julian's eyes narrowed at her, and then he smirked. She was an Alexis-in-training—if Alexis were ten times as bratty. "Oh, Molly, Molly, Molly. The police aren't here for me."

The knocking was more persistent as Julian turned away from a clearly thrown Molly and opened the door. The surprise on his face was mirrored on the visitor's—TJ, laden with takeout from Kelly's.

-"TJ. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

-"Mr. Jerome. I think that feeling's mutual. Is um…is Molly here?"

-"Yup, she's right here." He nodded toward the takeout, "Good to see that Alexis still cooks. I guess you should probably come in."

TJ wasn't sure how to handle Julian's joke. He was pretty sure Ms. Davis had broken up with Julian, and Molly was pretty convinced he was still in the mob. Which meant he was in the awkward position of incurring the wrath of his Mom's boss or his girlfriend. He decided to play it safe with a noncommittal "Thanks."

But when he saw Molly, he went over and hugged her. "Molly how are you? How is Sam doing?"

Molly looked at him as though he'd sprouted three heads. "What are you talking about?"

-"You mean you don't know?" He looked around at the only other person in the room. Judging by his face, Mr. Jerome DEFINITELY knew. "About Silas. Molly, I'm so sorry. He's gone."

-"What do you mean 'gone'?"

-"I mean he's dead, Molls. He and his wife were murdered."

Julian watched Molly carefully, waiting for her reaction. He really needed her to be the dogged Molly who wouldn't let anything go, and not the Molly who was going to crumble into tears. The latter wasn't going to turn up anything useful for him.

-"Murdered? How? Why? Who would do that to him?" The tears had started to flow, but she was demanding answers.

Jackpot, thought Julian.

-"I don't think they've arrested anyone yet."

-"When did this happen? How did this happen?"

-"Today. It was around 4:30 or so. They said an employee found them. I guess it was that nurse that's always around Mrs. Clay."

-"Oh my God, TJ. Sam! Oh my goodness, does Sam—" Molly stopped. Suddenly it made sense. "Oh. Sam knows now, doesn't she? That's why you're here, Julian?" Julian didn't answer. Until Alexis cleared his next move, he wasn't admitting to anything. "Why won't you answer me?"

-"I think we should wait for your mother, don't you Molly?" He turned to TJ, deciding curiosity as the best course of action: it would provide both information and witnesses to when he acquired it. "TJ, what else did you hear?"

-"There weren't a lot of details. There are rumors they were shot. But maybe there's more online now."

-The thought of research lit a fire in Molly. "C'mon TJ, let's look and see what we can find."

Julian let the kids go off in the corner to huddle around the laptop. He walked to the television and turned it on, hoping it would provide more details.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later Alexis descended the stairs to find Julian watching the local news as TJ and Molly huddled around the computer.<p>

Molly rushed to her mother. "Mom! How's Sam? Is she all right? Who would do something like this to Silas and his wife?" Alexis took a second to gather her bearings. It had been a while since her daughter had openly sought her comfort or opinion on anything.

-"She's sleeping now, sweetheart. Obviously she's incredibly upset. I'm going to give her a bit and then go up and check on her. How are you?"

-"I don't know," tears welled in Molly's eyes. "I mean I'm of course horrified he's dead. But I have such mixed feelings about Silas. On the one hand he hurt Sam. But on the other he saved Danny and he was Rafe's uncle." Her voice got smaller, "I really, really hate this summer."

For the second time that evening, Alexis pulled one of her daughters into an embrace and comforted her as tears flowed. Julian watched, slightly embarrassed he was intruding on something so personal but unwilling to leave until he could talk to Alexis.

It was TJ who broke up the moment. "Molly, why don't we give your Mom and Mr. Jerome a couple of minutes." He turned to Alexis, "Ms. Davis, your food's in the kitchen with Sam's. Can we heat it up for you?"

-"I'm OK, TJ. But maybe you could take my girl for a walk for a little bit and get some air?"

Molly looked at her mother, "Mom, I don't want to leave you and Sam. TJ and I have been reading about Silas online. Maybe we can find out more information about what happened. Maybe that can comfort Sam—there's nothing worse than not knowing."

Alexis felt a wave of relief settling in as the harridan who appeared to have possessed her daughter for the past few months stepped aside and her sweet, considerate youngest child returned. She hoped the reprieve wasn't temporary. "What have you learned so far?"

-"The news and bloggers were pretty fuzzy on details, but it looks like they were both shot."

Alexis looked from her daughter to Julian. She looked back at Molly and tried to make her next question sound driven entirely by curiosity and not by a gap in Sam's timeline. "So, do we know when it happened?"

-"I saw one news report say around 4:30," said Molly.

-TJ jumped in, "One article stated the police got there around 5."

Alexis remained impassive, purposely not looking at Julian. "Do we know anything else?"

-"They said an employee found them. We think it was that nurse that follows Silas's wife around," Molly responded.

- Alexis sighed, "It's so sad, but I'm glad you both are looking out for Sam. She needs that." She smiled grimly. "Listen, I don't think she's going to be down for awhile, but if she does come down we're going to need supplies." She looked at Molly. "I don't know what her mood is going to be, but we should be ready for anything."

Molly nodded knowingly, "we don't have any chocolate and we're low on ice cream. We are all clear on popcorn, though."

Julian couldn't stop himself before he jumped in, "is she really going to want chocolate and ice cream?"

Molly glared at him, suddenly remembering his presence. Alexis looked at him, "it's important to be prepared, Julian. And even if Sam doesn't eat it, Molly and I are going to need it." She turned to the couple, "Can you guys do a supply run to the corner? And can you also grab something for headaches—and maybe some Tylenol PM? Sam's going to be feeling miserable for a while, I bet. She's gonna need some sleep, too."

-"Sure, Mom. We'll be back in 15 minutes or so."

Julian watched them depart, catching the last stink-eye Molly threw him as she shut the door behind them. He immediately turned to Alexis, "So?"

- Alexis dropped the front she'd put up for Molly as her shoulders sagged. "Well, she's devastated."

-"How devastated? Is she OK? Can I see her?"

-"I can check on that last part, but I think you and I need to talk before you start speaking to Sam."

-"OK." Julian looked slightly puzzled, "what do you need to tell me? Is it bad?"

Alexis looked at Julian and considered her approach. Manipulating him with a subtle flirtation would yield the best immediate reaction, but create confusion for both of them; she opted for straightforward.

-"Here's the thing. I'm Sam's mother. But I'm also her lawyer. Anything she tells me is protected, but anything she tells you—"

-"Alexis," he cut her off, "you don't need to worry about me. I'd never share anything she told me with the police."

-"OK. See now that's why I'm worrying."

-"Why? Why would that worry you?"

Alexis sighed, "Because Julian. You can be subpoenaed. You can be forced to testify."

-"Then I'll just lie."

-"Jesus, Julian," Alexis threw her hands up in disbelief. "Can you not tell me that you're planning on committing perjury? Even hypothetically? This…*this* is what I'm worried about"

-"I don't see how that should come as a surprise to you."

-"OK. Stop. Just stop talking." Alexis was clearly frustrated, "This is what I need you to do for the next three days."

-"Anything," he wanted to get back into her good graces, "you know I'll do anything."

-"Great. But I don't want you to do *anything* Julian. I want you to do *nothing*"

Julian took a step back, confused and if he was honest—a little insulted. "OK, OK. Back up a second. Before we talk about how you don't want me to involve myself in my daughter's life—which by the way, Alexis? Not gonna happen—why don't we talk about how much trouble she may be in?"

-"What do you mean?"

-"I mean, does she have an alibi?"

Alexis stared at him. "Julian, you know I can't discuss what I discuss with my client."

-"Great. So this is what it's going to be like? She may be your client, but she's *our* daughter, Alexis." Julian shook his head in frustration, "you know what. It's fine. Don't tell me anything. I'll just ask her myself."

-"No," Alexis raised her voice and then realized she had two people asleep upstairs or at least trying to. She switched to a harsh whisper. "I don't want you asking her anything."

-"Well we can't always get what we want, can we Alexis?" Julian snarked.

Alexis stared at him, letting him know she caught every meaning in his loaded response. Time to try another tack. "Julian," she reasoned. "You asked me what I need you to do. Can you just let me tell you?"

Julian looked at her, his face grim. "Fine, go ahead."

She looked at him, marveling at how sometimes dealing with him was like dealing with Molly. Alexis shook off the feeling and decided her best approach was to reason with him.

-"First, I need you to do nothing." She raised her hand to stop his immediate protest, as though the physical act would keep his temper in check. "For now." Julian shrugged, giving her the signal to continue. "Look, we don't know if Sam is actually a suspect yet. Sure, on paper she makes sense. But Dante knows Sam, Nathan knows Sam—they know she would never have done this."

She looked at Julian to see if he was following before she continued, "but they're cops Julian. They need to check all the angles. And if they can't find another suspect, she may start looking good to them. And even though Nathan may know Sam didn't do this…well, his sister was just murdered. If he changes his mind and decides that Sam is a suspect he's not going to let go."

Julian looked at her, "Right. So how does doing nothing help?" He moved closer to her, lowering his voice and grabbing her hand, "Look Alexis. I don't know what she told you. I'm assuming she doesn't have an alibi because you're planning like someone who has a client that's a suspect. But we can just nip that in the bud right now. We can clear her in one phone call."

Alexis pulled away from his grasp, a harsh edge in her voice, "you don't get it, Julian. You want to know why I don't want you to do anything? That's why." She felt herself getting worked up, but she needed to make him understand. "You feel threatened and you react. You don't think it through. And then there's a whole new mess to clean up later." She softened her voice, "what happens if you give her an alibi and then someone contradicts it? She can't be in two places at once. And then the cops think she's lying, Julian. And why would someone being investigated in a murder case lie? Right. Because she did it." She finished, "Do you see where this is going?"

Julian avoided her eyes. He disagreed with her, but realized he didn't have a leg to stand on. Between what happened with Lucas and her house, he wasn't going to be able to change her mind—not tonight anyway. And the look on her face, the trace of anger and blame he saw there—he couldn't look at it. It was too much.

He felt her hand tilt his chin up so he was looking at her, "Julian, I have no idea what circumstantial evidence they may or may not have that would point to Sam. But I'm not making any moves now. I need to see what they have before we decide on a strategy. It's a waiting game. Just do nothing, at least for the next three days. Then we can revisit."

Julian instinctively put his hands up to her face. He stared at her and his voice became husky, "You've asked me to be patient and do nothing. Neither one of those things are a part of who I am." Alexis sensed his next move, and she lifted her hands to pull his own away before he could kiss her.

-"So that was the first thing I need you to do." Her voice was high and unsteady. God what Julian could do to her just by being in the same room. "Um…I also have a second."

-"Sure."

Julian's gaze was so intense she had to take a step back before she took a step forward. "I need to focus until we're sure Sam's cleared as a suspect. And you," she stammered looking for the right word, "you are a distraction. I can't wrestle with myself every time I see you."

-"Then don't. You know where I stand."

She closed her eyes. "I can't. I can't make a snap decision and change everything I think and believe in. I'm not built that way. But I struggle when I see you, Julian. I ache when I see you."

-"So what do you want me to do?"

Alexis looked at him directly. "Keep your distance from me. I get that you're a part of Sam's life and Danny's life, but when I'm too close to you, or you look at me the way you're looking at me right now…I just can't. I need you to stay away."

Julian looked at her hard. "I'll make you a deal. I'll do as you ask. I won't do anything to interfere in the case. I'll stay away from you and keep my distance."

-"OK"

-"But this 'revisiting' we're doing in three days? We're not just talking about a Sam strategy. We're also talking about you and me and distance." He walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. "Because I can't *not* help Sam, and the best way to help Sam is to work with you."

He kissed her on her forehead. His lips lingered there and Alexis leaned into him. They were connected, no matter what Alexis said. He knew he was going to have to work to win her back, but he was content for the moment that she gave into the pull between them. It was the first peace he'd felt in weeks. He wanted it to go on forever.

The temporary bliss was shattered by an open door and Molly's cry of "MOM!" Jolted from her sense of calm, Alexis pulled away.

Looking for an escape before he said something he'd regret, Julian whispered to Alexis, "I'm going to go check on Sam." She looked at him dubiously. "No questions beyond how she's doing, Alexis. I promise."


	7. Chapter 7

Julian ascended the stairs as Molly headed to the kitchen. She returned to the living room the same moody teenager she'd been across the summer.

-"Did you have a good talk?" Molly asked. Alexis picked up the snide disapproval immediately.

-"Yes, as a matter of fact we did."

-"I don't understand why you—"

Alexis cut her off, "Look. I understand you don't like him, and I'm sorry. We've broken it off, and I don't know what else you want me to do."

-"That didn't look too broken to me." Alexis started to say something when TJ stepped in. "Molly, why don't we get some ice cream and go back to our research."

-"Sure." She looked at TJ, then her mother. Alexis thought she caught shame on her daughter's face as Molly retreated to the kitchen, and she considered TJ for a moment. He had been a part of their lives for so long, Alexis took the interactions between he and Molly for granted. Maybe she needed to start paying attention again.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Julian descending the stairs. "Back so soon?" Alexis asked with a raised eyebrow.

-"She's sleeping. I don't have the heart to wake her." Julian looked around the room. "Look, I should probably go. Can you let me know if anything happens tomorrow? You can call." The corners of his mouth rose a bit, "I remember our deal."

She offered a slight smile in return. "I promise if anything happens of consequence I'll let you know as long as it doesn't breach confidentiality. And I'll tell Sam—"

Alexis was interrupted by the knock at the door. Julian looked at Alexis and detected a fire in her eyes. She whispered "game time."

-"Do you want me to stay?"

-"May as well. It would probably look suspicious if you hightailed it out of here as soon as the PCPD showed up."

-"Strong point."

She looked over to Molly and TJ to tell them to go upstairs, but she stopped herself. Sam and Danny were out cold and both needed the sleep. The teens would be fine down here. She intended to make this visit brief.

Alexis walked over and opened the door to find Dante and a woman she didn't know.

-"Hello, Alexis"

-"Hi Dante. I would ask what you're doing here, but we heard the news. It's so unbelievable. How is Det. West doing?"

-"He's not doing well, as you can imagine. To just get your sister back and lose her again…it's incomprehensible, really"

Alexis was momentarily thrown by the similarity between Nathan's loss and the one she suffered decades earlier. "Sadly, it's not for me. It's a pain I wouldn't wish on anyone. Certainly not on someone who is as decent as Det. West."

Dante quickly looked uncomfortable and moved to change the subject. "Alexis, this is my partner, Detective Dina Nagy. Detective, this is Alexis Davis. She's our former DA and currently my father's attorney. She's also my…" Dante took a moment looking for the easiest way to describe the familial connection, "…sister's mother."

If his partner thought anything odd about the introduction, she didn't show it. She extended her hand, "Nice to meet you Ms. Davis. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances. We actually have a couple of questions for Samantha Morgan. Is she at home?"

-"Sam is Alexis's daughter," Dante explained. "We would really like to speak to her for a couple of minutes, Alexis. Would it be OK if we came in?"

-"Of course, where are my manners? Come in." Alexis stepped aside so they could enter. She had half-hoped she could put an end to the conversation in the hallway. She would have much preferred keeping the police out of the penthouse.

Molly saw Dante enter and came over to greet her cousin. "Hey Dante."

-"Hey Molly. How's your head feeling?"

-"Better, thanks." She quickly switched topics. "Dante, I'm so glad you're on this case. Silas saved Danny's life, and I feel like we owe him."

-"Um, maybe I should make some intros. This is my partner Det. Nagy. Detective, this is my cousin Molly and her boyfriend TJ. And this," Dante added with a bit of a flourish, "this is Julian Jerome."

Alexis watched the new detective absorb the names and relationships in the room without blinking. She was either extremely good at hiding what she was thinking or she had been thoroughly briefed on the family before she even got to the penthouse door. Normally Alexis relished the challenge of a new piece on the chessboard, but not when her daughter's freedom was potentially at stake. Her wariness at the impassive detective made her decision for her: there was no way she was going to let Sam speak to the police tonight.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Det. Nagy's voice. "So you're Julian Jerome the media mogul?" She waited for his nod before continuing, "Ahhh. I guess I'm curious, Mr. Jerome, as to why you're here."

-"Sam is my daughter, I came over as soon as I heard about Silas to see if she was OK."

Det. Nagy nodded her head catching Molly's exaggerated eye roll as Julian spoke. "So how would you describe your daughter when you arrived here?"

Julian took in the detective, noting that she hadn't seemed surprised by anything she'd heard. He'd remember that for when he'd have to lie to her later. He was sure that day was coming, but today he had the truth on his side. "Well, Detective, she hadn't heard when I arrived, so she was fine."

-"So how did she react when you told her?"

-"I didn't tell her."

-"Mr. Jerome, you came all the way over here when you heard your daughter's friend was murdered. Why wouldn't you tell her?" Det. Nagy's question was accompanied by an air of confusion that didn't ring true to Julian. Like it was a line she'd rehearsed for a play but she wasn't a good enough actress to sell it with her eyes.

-"I love my daughter, but we're not as close as she is with her mother. Alexis is better at handling the emotional stuff. I thought it was better if Alexis told her."

-"I see." Det. Nagy turned to Alexis, continuing her interrogation masked as curiosity while Dante looked on silently. "Ms. Davis, how did your daughter take the news of Dr. Clay's passing?"

-"She was inconsolable, as you can imagine."

-"Hmmm. I'm not sure I can imagine. Why was she inconsolable?" Dante interrupted abruptly, "Actually Alexis, we know this has been a hard day for all of you. Maybe if we could just have a couple of minutes with Sam, we can get out of your hair."

-"Sure Dante. Her father just checked on her and she was sleeping. Julian, would you mind checking on her again? See if you can rouse her?" She turned to Dante, "she cried herself to sleep and I'm wary of waking her."

Det. Nagy stepped in, "Of course. I can imagine it must be hard for her raising a child on her own." Alexis found that statement odd. What did being a single parent have to do with anything? She went with the flow though, careful to share nothing with Det. Nagy. "Yes, but we all pitch in, Detective. It takes a village, and we all adore Danny."

-"Was your daughter working today, Ms. Davis?"

-"Maybe? We didn't really talk about it. I didn't really have a chance to ask her about her day."

-"But she wasn't here?"

-"I'm not sure Det. Nagy." Alexis offered a friendly smile to hide her annoyance. "Because I wasn't here. But maybe you can ask her when you see her?"

-"Actually Mom, she was with Patrick this morning then she had a stakeout at the mall."

All eyes turned to Molly. Det. Nagy followed up. "Do you know which mall?"

Alexis immediately intervened, "You know, I think we should probably leave these questions for Sam. Molly, honey, I know that paper's due tomorrow so why don't you and TJ go work on it upstairs?"

-"Sure, Mom." Molly went to gather the laptop, looking back at her mother and wondering what she'd done wrong. Her mother masked it well in front of the police, but Molly lived with her mother long enough to know when she was in trouble.

Julian descended the stairs and looked around the room. Det. Nagy was still somewhat unreadable but Dante looked uncomfortable. Alexis was unmoved. Julian had spent a lot of time talking to the partner—time to test the waters with Dante. "Det. Falconieri, I'm sorry. She's still asleep." His face filled with fatherly concern, "She's had such a hard day, I'd prefer not waking her, if that's ok."

Alexis chimed in, "Dante is there anyway we can maybe do this first thing in the morning? I'm concerned about her well-being, too. She was a bit hysterical and the news has taken so much out of her."

Dante started to speak, but his partner cut him off, "Actually, we'd really just like to ask her one or two questions if that's OK. It's important—the sooner we get answers, the better chance we have at apprehending the killer."

Julian nodded in understanding, "look I'd love to wake her but I tried. She's out like a light. She probably took a sedative to sleep. I just don't know if it's possible." Alexis looked at Julian impressed: she was sure his temper would have been visible by now, but he was keeping it well hidden.

Dante jumped in, "you know what, that's fine. Is there anyway we can schedule something on the early side? Say 9 am or so?"

-"How about 10?" countered Alexis. "Gives me some extra time to get coffee down her so she's fully alert."

-"Sure, that works." He turned to Molly and TJ who were finally heading up the stairs, "Molly, TJ, have a good night." He stared at Julian, saying nothing. Looking to put an end to the awkwardness, Alexis offered to walk them to the door.

-"Thank you, Dante. We really appreciate you stopping by to tell Sam. I'm sorry she wasn't up to speaking with you. But I'll make sure she's ready to talk to you tomorrow. I know she'll want to do whatever she can to help you catch whoever did this to Silas and his wife." Alexis turned to his partner, "Det. Nagy, it was a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry it's under such terrible circumstances, but welcome to Port Charles, just the same."

-"It was lovely to meet you too, Ms. Davis. I hope we run into each other again soon."

-"Me, too. Good night."

Alexis shut the door and bolted it. She turned to Julian and whispered, "Are Molly and TJ upstairs?"

-"Yup. What did you think?"

-"I think our girl is their number one suspect," Alexis stated flatly.

-"Yup. That woman didn't ask one question about Silas."

-"Nope," Alexis walked over to the sofa. "And did you notice her face when Dante was making introductions? There's no way Dante tries to explain his cousin and his sister's mother and you don't look completely confused or ask a follow up—unless you already know the key players in the room.

-"She's ambitious though, Alexis. Even Dante realized she overtipped her hand with that whole thing about being inconsolable. Too focused on getting the evidence—she doesn't see the big picture. That can be dangerous," Julian warned.

Alexis looked at Julian. "Well, so can I. The good news is that you were so effective at handling her questions that I got to play good cop. That'll help tomorrow when she realizes bad cop is sitting next to her suspect. So thank you for that."

Her gratitude was followed by a pause where each recognized the connection they continued to forge even though they were no longer together. As if the label "broken up" could stop the instinctive way they worked together. Alexis broke the silence.

"Well the bad news is that Sam is a suspect, but the good news is that we know that despite their best efforts to obscure it. Tomorrow we'll find out what evidence has them so convinced."

-"Alexis, I think that we should—"

-"Three days, Julian. You promised me three days." She smiled at him, "The good news is that I'm giving you a small reprieve. Today counts as day number one."

Julian left the penthouse shortly after the police did. Alexis was relieved he kept his distance physically, although she noted the strain on his face as he left. She was glad he was gone. It was late, she was tired, and she had one more conversation on her plate tonight.

* * *

><p>She sat in the silence for another 15 minutes or so when TJ came bounding down the stairs, Molly following him cautiously. He turned to Alexis "G'night Mrs. Davis. I'm really sorry about Dr. Clay. If there's anything I can do for Sam—watch Danny, take care of errands—I'm happy to do it." He turned to his girlfriend and kissed her squeezing her shoulder for support. Alexis watched something silently pass between them. "It will be OK, Molls." He kissed her again quickly then walked out the door.<p>

-"So. What was that about?"

-"What?" Molly asked.

-"That 'It will be OK.' What's going on?"

-"Nothing." Molly was nervous, "I'm going to go to bed."

-"Sit," Alexis's tone wasn't harsh, but it was clear to Molly this wasn't a request. "Again. What is the problem?"

Molly sighed. "I think you're mad at me, and I don't know why."

-"Really," countered Alexis. "Why would you think I'm mad at you?"

-"You're kidding right?"

-"Hmm" Alexis smiled to herself, "Let me rephrase. What's different about me tonight versus every other night this summer?"

-"I don't know. You're harder tonight? I don't know if that's the right word."

-"I'm not rolling over tonight, you mean," Alexis looked at her daughter. "Molly, I know that you don't like Julian. You've made that clear. Someone could come in here, not understand a word of English and be deaf and he would know how you feel about Julian. You've made that obvious."

-"Apparently not obvious enough. He's still around."

Alexis stared at Molly. "OK. We're going to get something straight right now. I'm your mother. I gave birth to you in a cave. I put a roof over your head, food on your plate and clothes on your back."

Molly started to interject before Alexis cut her off. "Did I say I was finished?"

-"No," Molly said meekly.

-"I have taken care of you when you were sick, dried your tears and cheered you on through every good thing you've done. You are my baby, my best girl. I would do anything for you."

-"I know," Molly whispered. Her eyes welled up with tears.

-"And this summer, I've been a terrible mother to you. I let you down."

-"It's OK, Mom."

-"Well, wait until you hear what I'm apologizing for before you start accepting it." Molly looked puzzled. "I'm not sorry that I didn't believe your father. I'm not sorry that I continued to see Julian. What I am sorry for is letting you act the way you have. You're overwhelmed with grief. You've taken so many hits this summer, baby. I didn't have the heart to fight with you. I just let you go and get it out."

Molly looked stunned, "so what's different now."

-"Well what's different now is that your sister is going into the PCPD tomorrow ostensibly to answer questions about Silas."

-"Of course they want to talk to her, Mom. He was just murdered."

-"Molly, two detectives from the PCPD were in our living room not 30 minutes ago. Think about the conversation."

Alexis watched as Molly replayed the discussion in her mind. Her face suddenly was puzzled. She turned to Alexis, "they didn't ask any questions about Silas. They only asked questions about Sam."

-"That's right."

-"But why would they do that? How does asking about Sam—" Alexis watched it dawn on her daughter. "Sam's a suspect."

-"Maybe," answered Alexis. "I'm not sure yet. But I will tell you one thing. You are under 18 which means the police cannot ask you questions without a guardian present."

-"Mom, I would never say anything to harm Sam," Molly was on the verge of tears.

-"Not intentionally. But jumping in and answering questions about her whereabouts only helps if you're right, Molly."

-"But Sam told me—"

-"I don't care what she told you. From now on information about Sam only comes from Sam, understand?" Molly nodded. "And that piece about a guardian present? You're not to answer any questions by the police without me there. I don't care if it's Anna asking if you want coffee or Dante asking what you want for Christmas, got it?"

Molly looked at her mother, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, God. Mom, did I do something to hurt Sam?" Alexis reached over and hugged a crying child for the third time in one evening. "No sweetheart. But it's really important that you do what I say. I can't have you fighting me on any part of this Molly, understand? I know your instinct is to fight me on everything right now, but there's too much at stake-I'm the adult and my word needs to be law. At least until we're sure Sam is OK."

Molly nodded and wrapped her arms around Alexis more tightly. Alexis finally broke free and looked at her youngest.

-"I love you. I love you to the moon and back. And I am so sorry for what you lost this year. But you are going to have to put it aside for now. I don't have the energy to spare arguing with you. And if you keep fighting me, I'm going to have to send you to Wyndamere to stay with Nikolas for a bit. And doing that would be like ripping out my heart. So please don't make me do it."

-"I won't Mom."

-"OK." Alexis smiled at her. "So I know that it sounds easy…" Molly laughed through her sob as Alexis continued, "but I have one more hit for you."

-"What Mom?"

-"Julian"

Molly's face turned grim. "Mom, you can't ask me to deal with him after what he did to Dad."

-"Yes I can. I'm your mother, so I can do what I want," she said lightly. Then she turned serious. "But Julian is Sam's dad. And while she may not be on the best terms with him right now, she's going to need him. And I can't have you as an obstacle to that."

-"It's not fair, Mom. How can you ask me to do that?"

Alexis went quiet and Molly watched her face in the silence. It seemed as though her mother was trying to make a decision.

-"You know, a long time ago when you were a baby and I was sick, Sam made a lot of sacrifices for you. I could go into them ad nauseum; suffice it to say that neither you nor I could ever repay her—not that she'd ever ask us to. It's what family does." Alexis thought hard about how to phrase the next part. It was a can full of worms and she only wanted to let one or two out.

-"Your father was not a saint, and he and Sam didn't get along. Not at all. And when I thought I was going to die, I asked Sam to set it aside. To work with your Dad to keep you and Kristina together." A tear started to fall down Alexis's cheek as she remembered all that Sam had done for her. "And she did it. And she hated every minute of it. But she didn't let me know—or she tried not to anyway. She pretended like it was all OK."

Molly asked quietly, "Why did she hate my father?"

Alexis looked at her. "I wouldn't say 'hate.' They had very different personalities. They weren't really friends before we knew she was your sister. Plus he was the DA and was going after Jason. It was a lot of little things that built up." She looked at her daughter who seemed satisfied with this response. "But she pushed through. She did what she had to do to keep you happy and safe. And I'm asking you Molly to do the same for her."

-"But I just can't like him, Mom."

-"I know, and I'm not asking you to do that. I'm asking that you not make it so hostile. That you don't berate him every chance you get, or roll your eyes or storm off. I'm asking you to be polite. I'm asking you to not be an obstacle between Sam and her father."

Molly wiped away a tear, "or between you and Julian."

-"Honestly, Molly? I don't know. We're not together now. But I may have to work with him."

-"I don't know, Mom. I don't know if I can do it."

Alexis looked at her daughter sadly. "Well, sleep on it, OK? If you really feel like you can't, then you can stay with Nikolas for a bit. Fair?"

-"I wouldn't say 'fair' exactly, but I'll think about it."

-"That's all I can ask for baby."

Alexis stood and stretched, exhausted. Her plans for reading had morphed into a game of cat-and-mouse with the PCPD, sharing terrible news with one child and cutting a deal with the other. And she wasn't even counting the energy fighting her attraction to Julian sapped from her.

-"OK, time for bed. Your sister and I have a big day tomorrow, and I believe you have a paper due."

Molly walked up the stairs ahead of her mother and stopped at Alexis's bedroom. She turned abruptly and gave her mother a hug. "I know I haven't said this enough, but I love you, Mom. I don't know why it's like this but I miss you." She started sobbing into her mother's shoulder.

Alexis was overcome. As the two sobbed together, she moved their entwined bodies into her room and sat on her bed. Molly eventually fell asleep where she fell, and Alexis turned out he light before curling up next to her youngest like she used to do when she was still her baby.


	8. Chapter 8

Alexis woke with a start, momentarily confused to find she shared her bed with Molly. As memories of the night before flooded back, she looked at the clock: 4:45 am. She'd maybe had five hours sleep. Her head was groggy but her body tense, the results of an emotional night before and the anticipation of a grueling day ahead. Carefully, so as to avoid waking her daughter, she discarded her clothes she'd had no chance to change before sleep and silently switched to her yoga pants and tee. She grabbed her glasses and softly made her way downstairs.

She went to the kitchen and immediately turned on the coffee maker. The day would require a steady stream of the life-giving elixir, and there was no time to start like the present. Alexis opened the refrigerator and poked through the vegetable drawer with her fingers crossed before she hit a bullseye. She pulled out a cucumber and cut off four thick slabs, immediately sticking them in the freezer. She then made herself a peanut butter sandwich and ate half, putting the other half on a plate for Sam later.

Her stomach lined, Alexis pulled out a bottle of hot sauce from the cabinet. She poured herself the tallest glass of water available, and then used it as a chaser to the shot of tabasco she pounded down her throat. A little trick Jax had taught her to help decongest, this cure was normally eschewed for being worse than the disease. But not today. Today she needed a clear head, and that included her sinuses.

Alexis went to the balcony and sat in a lounge chair. She took a huge swig of her coffee before setting it down next to her, then lay her head back and covered each swollen eye with a cucumber. She set her alarm for 6:30, giving her a little over an hour to give into every fear, doubt and anxiety and then rebuild herself as a tower of confidence and optimism before she had to wake up Sam.

* * *

><p>Sam shook off the tabasco shot and reached for her water gulping it down eagerly.<p>

-"I can't believe you made me do that."

-"Gotta be on your toes today, kid. Trust me, that'll clear out some of the grogginess in your head."

-"Coffee will help."

Alexis nodded reverently, "Coffee always helps."

-"I must look a mess. I was crying most of the night."

-"I thought about that. I have two cucumbers in the freezer to help reduce the swelling. But I was thinking..."

-"What? Not that I go in there looking like some kind of mole person?"

-"No. Not a mole person. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad if the police could see your grief."

-"OK. Will you tell me now what went down last night?"

-"Well, Dante has a new partner on this one. Have you heard of Det. Dina Nagy? She's new. Have you come across her?"

-"No. What's she like?"

-"Young. A little eager. She's going to be the 'badder cop' in this, by the way."

-"Why 'baddER' cop? Is Dante not the 'good' cop in this scenario?"

Alexis paused a moment and looked Sam square in the face, "There is no 'good' cop in this scenario, sweetheart. You are definitely a suspect." She then shared the interrogation poorly concealed as polite conversation the night before. "So when we go in there today, we need to be prepared."

-"Mom, I know. But I have the truth on my side. I didn't do this—I wasn't anywhere near Silas's place last night. They can't place me there."

-"I know, baby. But we may have a slight problem already." Alexis saw Sam staring blank-faced at her mother. "Honey, did you tell Molly you were doing a stakeout at the mall yesterday?"

-"Yes. Why? Ugh. Did she tell the cops that?"

-"Eeeeeeyup"

-"OK, well I can just tell the truth today at the station."

-"And you should. Answer every question they ask honestly. And if I don't want you to answer one, I'll jump in."

-"Mom, I know how to do this."

-"I know you do. But that new woman is looking for a collar and right now she's got you right in her sights. She'll look for anything to rattle you. Diego, Jason's job, your past marriages. Whatever it takes. Let me handle those for you." Alexis paused before she continued, "Let's talk for a second about broader strategy."

-Sam nodded, "sure."

-"We have two choices really. We can go in there and you can answer all their questions except the ones I hate. They'll ask you anything and everything about Silas-about how you met, your relationship. We could be there for hours."

-"I don't know how I feel about that. I mean, what's the advantage to doing that?"

-"Well, there are maybe two as I see it. First, you appear incredibly cooperative. Depending on how set they are on you as a suspect, this could maybe take the heat off of you."

-"What's the other one?"

-"Well…they probably won't get to the line of questions they really want until the end. They'll try and build a rapport before they go for the jugular. So the choice is, sit through and talk about how much you love Silas for an hour and then get a glimpse as to why you're a suspect, or only answer questions about who you think would hurt Silas and be out of there in 20 minutes."

-"I kind of want to know why they think I'm a suspect. And if they do arrest me, they're going to ask me all of that information anyway. I don't have anything to hide, Mom. I think we should go until we get the answers we need."

-"OK. But when I cut it off, we walk. Is that a deal?"

-"Yes." Sam let out a long sigh, and looked up at her mother. "Well if this is the extent of your preparation, you're falling short counselor."

-"What do you mean? You want to run through questions and answers? We have time."

-"No." Sam extended her coffee mug to her mother. "This is empty."

* * *

><p>Alexis and Sam spent the rest of the morning going through the timeline in detail. Sam had left out a lot of specifics the day before and her mother couldn't afford to be caught off-guard when it came up in the interrogation. They showered and dressed. Sam wore a black shirt and pants, appropriate for mourning. Alexis wore the only other business casual outfit she had in her closet, appropriate for maintaining the illusion that this was just a friendly interview between the PCPD and her daughter.<p>

They stopped at Kelly's for one more cup of coffee, each grabbing the largest size they had. The Davis girls arrived at the station very alert, caffeine making up at least 65% of their collective bloodstream.

Dante greeted them and introduced Det. Nagy to Sam. As she grabbed his partner's hand, Sam looked directly in her eyes. She saw curiosity with a twinge of arrogance there. Det. Nagy felt like she had something to be cocky about. This interrogation was definitely going to be interesting.

-"I'm so sorry for your loss, Ms. Morgan," the female detective started. "And we thank you for coming down here to answer some questions about Dr. Clay. Obviously, we're looking for any information at all that will help us catch his killer."

-"Silas was an amazing person that I loved dearly. I will do whatever I can to help."

Det. Nagy directed Sam towards the interrogation room. "This way Ms. Morgan. We should have some privacy in here."

Dante turned to Alexis, "Alexis you're welcome to wait out here if you like, but we may be awhile. Why don't you have Sam give you a call later?"

Without missing a beat, Alexis responded, "Oh! Dante, I was going to join you all. I mean, I know I wasn't as close to Silas as Sam was, but I may have some information that could help."

Sam jumped in, "I'd really like my mother with me, if that's OK. I'm a little shaky right now—I haven't been able to go more than 30 minutes without crying. I really need her support."

It was silent for a moment when Det. Nagy responded, "Ms. Morgan I can imagine that this must be a difficult time for you. But I think we'd be more productive if it was just you and us."

-"Det. Nagy, are you saying that I can't join my daughter?" Alexis asked innocently.

-"I just think—"

-"Det. Falconieri, am I allowed to join my daughter while you question her or not?" Her tone was friendly but pointed.

Dante raised an eyebrow at Alexis, appearing to have picked up the formality in her tone. He looked to his partner before settling his eyes on Sam.

-"Ms. Morgan, who is your attorney of record?"

-"My mother, Alexis Davis."

-"And is it your desire that she accompany you while we question you?"

-"Yes."

Dante turned back to Alexis, with a slight smirk. "After you counselor. I believe you know the way." Alexis headed to the interrogation room as she heard Dante say, "Det. Nagy—a word?" Mother and daughter sat down at the table, their backs to the window.

-"Well, I guess we all know where we stand now," Alexis noted.

Sam smirked, "I'm not sure Det. Nagy does."

-"I'm sure that's what Dante's telling her."

* * *

><p>Dante and Det. Nagy sat at the table across from Alexis and Sam. He first step was to Mirandize Silas's former lover. Even though she knew it was coming, Alexis felt her spine straighten and a slight current hum through her bloodstream. They could all pretend it was casual questioning, but everyone in the room knew where they stood: Sam was a suspect. And Alexis's goal was to make sure her daughter didn't leave that way.<p>

The questioning started friendly enough. The detectives were open and listening attentively as Sam recalled how she met Silas, the custody trial with Rafe, Danny's cancer, and the search for Nina and quest to prove Silas's innocence. They'd paused twice, each time when Sam broke down. The first was when describing Rafe and the feeling of custody of him—it triggered the recent, permanent loss of her former ward and she was overcome. The second was the description of Silas pointing out Danny's rash and how it pushed for the diagnosis and treatment of his cancer. Both times the detectives were accommodating and sympathetic, giving Sam all the time she needed to pull herself together.

The second hour of the interrogation was cordial but lacked the friendliness of the first. Det. Nagy's easy-going rapport was gone and it was obvious that she was building up to something. Alexis and Sam both sensed it, but were unclear as to the big finale. Without any sense of where the detective was going, Sam opted to plow through with her answers. Alexis kept searching though, mindful of the questions asked and Sam's responses. But as she had throughout the entire line of questioning, Alexis remained silent, save to give her daughter encouragement.

Dets. Nagy and Falconieri shifted the linear nature of their questioning to picking and choosing across Sam's story. This was the part of the interview they were all waiting for, and the idea that this was anything less than an interrogation between police and suspect was pure pretense. As anticipated, Det. Nagy started.

-"Ms. Morgan, I'd like to go back to the custody trial for Rafe Kovich. You mentioned that the trial was 'heated.' What did you mean by that?"

-"Well, I think it was a standard custody trial. Silas was a stranger to Rafe, but he was his nephew. I loved Rafe and wanted him to stay with us, he was a part of my family."

-"But how was it heated? What was said?"

Alexis stepped in. "Det. Nagy, I think that there are court transcripts that can give you a better idea of how it was 'heated' than my daughter's recollection. And I'm not really sure how this pertains to Silas's murder?"

-"It seems that there were a lot of accusations on both sides, counselor. Dr. Clay seemed to feel that Ms. Morgan was unfit to raise his nephew. I'm curious as to why."

-"Again, you have a transcript. It's all there."

-"I've read the transcript. It seems Ms. Morgan has a colorful past."

-"Interesting. I'm sure I'd love to hear your theories on my daughter's past, but perhaps before we go down that road we focus on Silas's present. That is why we're here right? To help you uncover clues as to who could have killed Silas?"

Dante jumped in, "Alexis is right." Alexis immediately noted the informality—Dante was switching into good cop mode to ease the tension. "It might be more productive if we turned to the last few days. Sam, can I get you any coffee before we start."

-"You know I'm never turning down coffee, Dante."

-"Then how about we all take a break. How about 15 minutes? Sam, Alexis feel free to use the restroom and I'll grab some coffee. Det. Nagy, would you mind helping me?"

* * *

><p>Sam and Alexis returned to the room ahead of the detectives. "This break was weird. I would have thought Dante would have kept going."<p>

-"Nope. Not if he wants you to stay here."

-"How so?"

-"They haven't asked what they want yet. Dante's afraid I'm going to pull you before he gets to ask the questions he wants."

-"Should we go? I mean, if I'm not under arrest, I don't need to be here, right?"

Alexis thought about it for a minute. "If you don't want to stay and answer their questions, we can go. It's up to you."

-"I don't know. I feel like they have a reason for suspecting me. And I want to know what it is. But they're not going to tell us outright. And we're not going to have any idea if we leave."

-"Are you sure you're not too tired?"

-"No. The coffee will help. We've gone this long, I can to it."

-"OK," Alexis smiled encouragingly. "I guess we're staying."

Dante had taken over this line of questioning. "Ms. Morgan, when was the time you saw Dr. Clay?"

-"I saw him two days ago."

-"Where did you see him?"

-"At his apartment."

-"Was Mrs. Clay there?"

-"No. She wasn't."

-"I see," Dante paused for a moment, "What was the nature of your visit?"

-"'The nature of my visit?' Business."

-"Were you working for Dr. Clay?"

-"Sort of. I mean he hadn't hired me, if that's what you mean. I was working on a case that was of interest to Silas."

-"What case was that?"

-"I'm trying to find out who forced Rafe Kovich to cause the accident that killed Patrick and Sabrina's baby."

Dante looked at Sam, remembering the chase that ultimately killed Rafe. He asked quietly, "Did you find any additional information?"

-"Just a phone number. And a business card that didn't seem to belong there."

-"I see. And where was the card from?"

-"A clinic downstate. It's called Crichton Clark." Alexis looked at the detectives and then Sam. She had noticed the slightest reluctance at sharing that piece of information. But it didn't look like Dante or Det. Nagy had picked up on it.

-"And why is the card significant?"

-"I don't know that it is. Crichton Clark is where Nina was being cared for after her coma. The card could have been in Rafe's stuff by accident. Silas was going to check with Nina and her nurse to see if there's some way he could have gotten it from one of them."

-"What did he find out?"

-"I don't know." Sam's voice was just above a whisper as a tear fell down her cheek. "That was the last time I talked to him."

There was a pause as Sam dabbed her eyes and took a breath. When she was ready to go, Det. Nagy tagged in and proceeded with the next line of questioning. "How would you describe the tone of your conversation with Dr. Clay?"

-"It was fine I guess. I don't know exactly how you mean?"

-"Well, you two were broken up, correct?"

-"Yes. We'd split up."

-"And it was an acrimonious break up, wasn't it?"

-"No. Not at all. I mean I think it hurt us both, but I wouldn't characterize it as 'acrimonious.'"

-"Really, because Dr. Clay's neighbors did."

Sam looked shocked, "Excuse me?"

-"Two of his neighbors recall a confrontation between you, Dr. and Mrs. Clay about a month ago."

-"I'm going to need more of a hint than that. What confrontation?"

-"Apparently you caught them together? I mean it's kind of weird if you ask me," Det. Nagy stated, "you were the mistress."

Alexis intervened. "Det. Falconieri, please inform your partner that I'm more than happy to give her a working definition of 'acrimonious' if she doesn't change her tone." Det. Nagy blanched.

Dante raised his hands, "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. Sam-" again with the informality Alexis noticed, "-why don't you tell us what the neighbors overheard?"

Sam looked at her mother. "Well I don't know what they overheard." She paused before continuing. "When Nina came back from the dead, Silas was torn between us. I went to the apartment that night and saw Silas and Nina kissing. It was obvious that I was in the way of their ability to move forward. I was shocked and I was disappointed, so I ended it."

-"What was Dr. Clay's reaction?"

-"He begged me to stay—to explain. But there was no need really. He needed to figure out his relationship with Nina. I was just making it harder. It wasn't fair to either of them and it wasn't fair to me."

-"And that's all that happened."

-"Yup, that's it."

-"Ms. Morgan, can you share where you were yesterday?"

-"At which point?"

-"Just walk me through your day."

Sam recounted her day with the detectives. They took copious notes, allowing her to continue uninterrupted. When she finished, Det. Nagy looked at her partner with an eyebrow raised, and started the next line of questioning.

-"Ms. Morgan, we were under the impression that you were on a stakeout at a mall yesterday afternoon."

-"Nope. I wasn't."

-"Why would your sister feel compelled to tell us you were?" Det. Nagy challenged.

-"I don't know why Molly would feel compelled to share anything with you. You'd need to ask her that. I'm sure she thought she was being helpful. As for why she thought I was at a stakeout at the mall, I told her that."

-"Why would you mislead your sister?"

-"Because I didn't feel like telling her I was at the lake house."

-"Why?"

-"Because ever since it exploded and destroyed every thing she owns, she's been a little sensitive about it," Sam heard the edge in her voice and took a breath to calm herself down. They'd been at it for quite a while, not including the break for lunch. "I didn't tell her I was at the lake house because I knew it would upset her. We've had enough to be upset about, lately. She didn't need one more thing."

-"Fair enough," Dante added. He paused, "Did anyone see you at the lake house? Can they confirm your whereabouts?"

Sam looked at Dante point blank: "No."

Det. Nagy was still on point. "I'd like to talk to you a little more about your timeline. If that's ok."

-"Sure."

-"You noted yesterday that you were looking for Rafe's drug dealer?"

-"Yes."

-"Did you have your gun with you while you did that?"

Sam paused for a second and responded slowly, "yes."

-"Ms. Morgan, your gun is a .22, correct? That's at least what your license says."

-"Yes."

-"And was it on your person all day yesterday?"

-"No."

-"When did you have it with you?"

-"Patrick—Dr. Drake—and I went from Kelly's to my office. I keep my gun in a safe there. I took it with us and then put it back in the safe before I went home at 2:30."

-"You didn't take it home with you?"

-"No. I don't like having my gun in the house."

-"Why is that? It seems easier than going to grab it at the office."

-"I use it for work if I need it. If I'm on a case that could be dangerous, I take it with me. I don't store it in the house because I have a toddler at home. I sleep easier without it in the house."

-"I find that odd considering your former husband's line of work."

Alexis piped in, "Jason was a businessman. I'm not sure how this is relevant to where my daughter decides to store her gun."

Dante smiled as a conciliatory gesture. "OK. So your gun is in the safe in your office. And has been since around 2:30 pm yesterday. Is that correct?"

-"Probably more like 2:15, but yes-that's where I left it," Sam noted.

-"Would you be willing to turn it in so we can do a ballistics test?" Det. Nagy asked. Alexis detected the trace of a grimace on Dante's face. Looks like someone jumped the gun, so to speak.

Sam was silent, knowing that Alexis was about to jump in. "Why would you need to do a ballistics test on Sam's gun?"

-"Dr. and Mrs. Clay were killed with a .22—"

-"-And you think my daughter's gun was used to kill them? Presumably by my daughter?"

Det. Nagy was silent. Dante jumped in with a feeble, "No, Alexis. We just want to rule it out." Alexis looked at Dante but he couldn't make eye contact. Good, Alexis thought. He *should* be embarrassed throwing that low-level bullshit her way.

Alexis looked at Sam and lifted an eyebrow. Sam shrugged in assent.

-"Detectives, is my daughter a suspect in this murder investigation?"

Dante sighed audibly. "Counselor, we don't have anyone we're focused on at the moment."

-"OK. Well, let me make this easier for all of us. We've been here for hours and Sam's answered all your questions honestly and to the best of her ability. She's exhausted, and frankly I don't know what more you can possibly ask her unless she's a suspect. Which you've implied she's not. So we're going to go."

-"I do have a few more questions, counselor."

Alexis ignored Det. Nagy. "We're going to go. If you have any other questions you'd like to ask my daughter, please call my office. Dante, you have the number."

Det. Nagy spoke to Sam's back as she was making her way out the door. "Ms. Morgan, about the gun."

Alexis turned around, "Det. Falconieri, I'm going to assume that if you have enough evidence I'll be looking at a warrant this afternoon?" Dante was silent. "Well, whenever you have it in hand, please let my office know so Sam can open the safe for you. Have a good afternoon everyone."

* * *

><p>Alexis and Sam were well beyond the station walls when daughter turned to mother. "Well, what do you think?"<p>

-"I think that they have a witness to you arguing, and they clearly have a problem with your timeline. That and the fact they were killed with a .22? It should be enough to get them a warrant for the gun."

Sam sat deep in thought. "How long will it take them to get the warrant?

-"I would assume they had the paperwork typed up before we got there. Maybe later this afternoon?" Alexis paused for a moment. "The business card. What was that about?"

Sam was silent for a few beats too long, taking advantage of Alexis's preoccupation with finding her keys to unlock the Prius. "I've been to Crichton Clark."

-"I know with Silas to find Nina."

-"No, since then."

Alexis turned to look at her daughter, "What are you talking about?"

-"I was there with Patrick about a week ago."

-"Please, please tell me it's because they're in the market for a cutting edge neurosurgeon and Patrick is interviewing for the position."

-"No."

Alexis got into the driver's seat and waited for Sam to shut the passenger door. "OK, Sam." She grimaced and closed her eyes, knowing that she wasn't going to like the answer to her next question. "Why were you at the clinic with Patrick?"

-"We were investigating Nina."

-"WHAT?" It was worse than she thought.

Sam rushed with her explanation, as though placating her mother was dependent on the speed of delivery. "I think she is—was—playing Silas. I think she could walk and that she's the one that spilled Patrick's secret to the reporter."

-"Oh my God. It's like talking to your father. I swear." Alexis mumbled under her breath.

-"Mom, look—"

-"Can anyone identify you, Sam? From the clinic? If Dante shows up there with your photo will they find out why you were there or even if you were there?"

-"I don't know."

-"What does that mean?"

-"It means I was caught. Both times."

-"They caught you BOTH times?"

Sam paused before she shared the next piece with her mother. In for a penny, in for a pound. "And I assaulted staff there…both times."

Alexis pinched the top of her nose as she shook her head in disbelief.

-"So how. Oh God." Alexis didn't even know where to begin. "HOW can you say they *may* find out you were there and that you've left a trail of violence as you looked for information on Nina Clay?"

-"Because I haven't been arrested yet." Sam stated matter-of-factly.

Alexis sat with her hands on the wheel, staring out across the parking lot. The quiet was disconcerting to Sam and she touched her arm lightly. "Mom?"

-"Sam. We've had a long day. You especially." She turned and tucked a piece of hair behind her daughter's ear. "I'm glad you told me. I wish you had told me sooner, but I guess you've had other things on your mind."

-"I'm sorry Mom, I just…" The thought trailed off. Sam was tired. She'd spent the better part of the night crying and just did ten rounds with the PCPD. "All I want right now is my pajamas, my son, and a glass of wine."

Alexis started the car. "Let's go home then." But in the back of her mind she had a feeling that she was missing pieces to the puzzle. And not just the ones involving Crichton Clark.


	9. Chapter 9

Alexis and Sam arrived back at the penthouse to find it quiet. It was 2 pm and Danny had already started his nap. After announcing that her son had the right idea, Sam crawled upstairs to join him. Opting for some alone time, Alexis dismissed the babysitter and sat alone in the empty first floor. She was loath to disturb the still and quiet, but she only had another hour or so before Molly got home. And she was sure she and Sam would have more quality time with the PCPD later in the afternoon.

She pulled out her laptop and reviewed the only document that had been sitting in a folder marked "Smith Custody Trial." She tweaked the date and printed it out, immediately shoving a copy in her bag. Alexis then grabbed her phone and noticed two voicemails and five texts from Julian. He was going to have to wait. She scrolled through her contacts until she found the number she needed and called.

"Diane? Hi, it's Alexis."

* * *

><p>The expected call came at 4 pm. The police had a warrant and were at Sam's office to retrieve her gun. Alexis left Molly enough money to order in and kissed her daughter on the forehead.<p>

-"Mom, why do they have a warrant?"

-"They want to look at Sam's gun, baby. It's fine. We'll be back later and Sam can tell you about the day. But we have to run now, OK?"

Molly was skeptical. She considered protesting, but thought about the conversation she'd had with her mother the night before. She had to trust her mother knew what was best. "OK. Call me if you need anything?"

Sam came down the stairs. "Sorry. Danny's still sleeping, but I wanted to kiss him goodbye. Molls, the babysitter said he was a little fussy when she brought him to the park and he felt a little warm. If he wakes up and still feels warm, take his temperature. Anything over 99, give him some of this." She put the bottle on the table, and rushed to kiss her sister on the cheek. "Thanks for this. I owe you brunch at Kelly's this weekend."

-"Let's go," Alexis urged. "If we don't hurry, they may blow the safe." Sam made a face at her. "It's the PCPD, you can never be too careful," Alexis smirked.

* * *

><p>They arrived at Sam's office to find the detectives and two policemen waiting outside the door. Alexis apologized for leaving them waiting.<p>

Sam took out her key and led them into her office. She walked over to safe bolted to the floor and stood immobile until Alexis reviewed the warrant and gave her assent. According to the warrant, they only had access to the office. She was surprised at the specificity; when she was DA she would have applied for something as broad as possible, including Sam's place of residence. She was lost in thought when she heard Dante clear his throat.

-"Sorry," Alexis murmured. "It's kosher. Go ahead, Sam."

Sam bent over and entered the combination. As she pulled open the door, her face was puzzled. She reached into the safe and then crouched lower to get a better look. She turned to face all the eyes in the room trained on her, but Sam focused on one pair in particular, her face white as a sheet.

-"Mom. It's gone."

The room was dead silent and no one moved. Sam slowly stood up holding a cigar box. She opened it and counted. "The bullets. They're all here. But the gun…" she trailed off.

Det. Nagy was the first to step forward. "So you're saying the gun is missing? That doesn't seem particularly believable, Ms. Morgan."

-"Detective, I'd like a word with my client." Alexis pulled Sam's arm and opened the door to the hallway, physically dragging her out of the room before someone had a chance to protest. She positioned Sam's back to the door while Alexis kept one eye on the police in the office.

-"OK," Alexis whispered. "Take a deep breath. Take two. Then talk to me."

Sam shook off the shock as best she could. "I got back to the office, Mom. I took the bullets out of the gun like I always do and put them in the box. Then I put the unloaded gun in the safe with the bullets and I locked the safe."

-"Did anyone see you do it?"

-"No. Patrick saw me take the gun but he was so weirded out I waited until he left before I put it back. I didn't want to remind him I had it on me."

Alexis silently cursed Patrick. "OK. Who else had a combination to the safe?"

-"I don't know. Spinelli does. Jason did. That's it. We're the only three that have ever had it."

-"OK. We're going to go in and report this stolen." Alexis grabbed her daughter by the shoulders and looked straight at Sam. She dug deep for the calm that appeared to radiate from her face. "Listen to me. This is all going to be OK. They're going to search the office for the gun. They will also get a search warrant for the penthouse."

Sam let out a sob. Alexis put her hands up to her daughter's face. "Sam. Sam. I need you to look at me, OK. I need you to be strong right now. Take a breath." Sam closed her eyes and then opened them, staring straight at her mother. "That's my baby girl. OK. Now here's the hard part. If they don't find the gun in the office, they are probably going to arrest you. Say nothing. NOTHING. Unless I am in the room with you."

-"Mom, Danny's at the penthouse. If they do a search warrant—"

-"—I've got it. I'm going to have Molly pack a bag for them and go to Nikolas's. He won't be home, he'll be safe with his aunt and his cousin, OK."

Sam nodded her head, drawing strength as she shifted from working on pure emotion to thinking it through rationally. She wiped her eyes.

-"OK, take another 10 seconds. Let's breathe. And then let's go back in that room. And Sam I want you to remember something. You are the strongest person I know. We are Cassadines, we are Davis women and we always come out the other side. OK?"

-"OK"

Alexis led Sam back into the office. "Det. Falconieri, we'd like to report a gun stolen."

* * *

><p>Sam walked Dante through everything she'd done the day before as the police started searching her office. The room had transitioned to a crime scene; unconstrained by the warrant, the police began dusting for prints and searching through every file drawer looking for the gun. Her story finished, Sam sat in a chair watching as the police dismantled her place of work. Alexis took the opportunity to make three quick calls in succession.<p>

The first was to Diane who agreed to go to the penthouse and wait for the search warrant in case Alexis didn't make it back in time. Nikolas was her second call, and he quickly consented to personally take his limo to pick up his cousins. Her third call was the one she was least excited about.

-"Molly, it's Mom."

-"Mom! Is everything OK? You've both been gone way longer than you should have."

-"We've had a couple of things come up unexpectedly. I don't have a lot of time, so I'm going to need you to do as I ask, OK?"

-"OK."

-"I need you to pack a bag for you and Danny. You're going to spend the night at Nikolas's—"

-"—but"

-"Molly. This has nothing to do with what we talked about last night, and I can't explain it right now. Nikolas is coming in his limo to get you. Take only what you need for school and two nights, max. Is Danny up?"

-"Yes"

-"Is he sick?"

-"Nope."

-"Look at that, we caught a break." Alexis murmured under her breath. "Molly, once you have the bags packed I want you to sit in the penthouse. The only person you are to let in is Diane, do you understand?"

-"Yes."

-"I want you to do whatever she says. If she tells you to let the police search your bags you do it. If she tells you to walk out and ignore everyone you see, you do it. Are we clear?"

-"Yes." Her voice got quiet, "Mom, I'm scared."

-"I know this sounds scary. It's happening so fast and you're not getting a lot of answers so you're frightened. But don't be. It's precautionary. I need you to shake off any fear you're feeling right now OK? Danny will pick up on it."

-"OK. Mom, is Sam all right?"

Alexis's eyes drifted to her oldest. She looked so small sitting on that chair, but her eyes were blazing. Sam was angry, and Alexis could see the wheels turning.

-"Sam's OK. Listen, I have to go baby. I will call you later. I love you."

-"I love you both, Mom."

Alexis hung up and approached Dante to discuss the impending search warrant on the penthouse when she stopped in her tracks. For the first time she had a moment to breathe and something felt not right. And not only "not right," but insidious. She turned and took a step into the hallway, out of earshot of everyone in the room. She picked up her phone and dialed Julian.

-"Alexis. I've been waiting for you to call be back. What's happening?"

-"I don't have enough time to explain. I only have a few minutes. Suffice it to say, the day is not going well."

-"Did something happen with the police? Is she a suspect?"

-"Look, Julian. There's a lot to discuss and I'm not lying when I say I don't have the time. But I need you to do something for me. And it's important."

Julian's voice became no-nonsense. "Tell me. It's done."

-"I need you to go to Sam's building. I need you to watch the penthouse but not be seen. I need you to make sure Molly and Danny get into Nikolas's limo and that the only people who go into that apartment are Diane Miller or the police."

-"Alexis, I'll do this, but I need you to tell me…"

-"I know and I will. But I really don't have the time. Please just do this. I'll talk to you tonight when I get home."

-"OK. It's done."

-"And Julian, one more thing. I don't want any of your goons or men or whatever they are doing this. This is you and you only. And if you could avoid Molly, that would be helpful."

* * *

><p>An hour later Diane called to say that the police had arrived with the warrant. Molly and Danny had left as soon as they showed their bags to a plainclothesman Dante had sent ahead of the search team. Julian had texted her to let her know that Molly made it into Nikolas's limo; Molly's text confirming their arrival at Wyndamere came 45 minutes later.<p>

Alexis was now free to focus on her biggest worry: would they arrest Sam. It was now about 5:30. If they hauled her in, she wouldn't be arraigned until the morning so she'd definitely have to stay overnight. Alexis was hopeful that they would potentially wait until the morning, when they had the results of their searches. But as they were wrapping up the search of the office, Dante approached Sam and placed her under arrest for Silas and Nina's murder. "Not a word," Alexis instructed as they led her daughter out in cuffs.

As the office emptied, Alexis looked at the mess in front of her: the powder for the fingerprints, files on the floor, cabinets moved. She pulled the door shut and locked it, marveling at the futility of locking up the barn after the horse already bolted. Alexis would need to add a locksmith to her list of to-dos.

* * *

><p>By the time Alexis got to the station, Sam was already in an interrogation room. She walked in and was hit by a wave of sadness that the sight of her daughter cuffed to a table was not foreign to her.<p>

She put on her confident face as she asked, "How are you holding up?"

-"I'm pretty scared and worried. But fortunately, I'm too pissed right now to focus on either of those emotions."

-"I know.

-"Someone took my gun, Mom. I'm being framed."

Alexis nodded. "We'll figure it out. But for now, we've got to concentrate on getting you out of here."

-"First, Danny. Where is he?"

-"I spoke to Diane. Molly and Danny are fine and at Wyndamere."

-"What about his fever?"

-"False alarm. Molly says he's hale and hearty. The home front is fine."

-"Did they find the gun during the search?"

-"It's still happening. Diane will text me if they turn something up, but so far nothing."

-"OK. So what do we do now?"

-"Right now, stick to the facts. Don't start with the 'someone is framing me' stuff. Without evidence, it makes you sound guilty. Plus, we're going to use that as our defense if we need to mount one. No need to tip the hand now."

-"Got it." Sam looked at her wrists. "There's no chance I'm getting out of here tonight, is there?"

-"No. We've probably got a few hours of questioning left before they arraign you. I will push for it as quickly as possible, but it's not going to be before tomorrow.

It was 9:30 before they were done with Sam. They'd questioned her on everything, from her previous marriages to her rap sheet to her marriage to Jason to the last meal she ate with Silas. As they led her down to the holding cells below, Alexis asked for a final word with her client. Her arms enveloped Sam as she whispered, "I'm going to get you out, baby girl. Just stay strong." Alexis watched her daughter disappear, then she spun on her heels and quickly exited the station. She waited until she was in her car before she allowed the tears to fall.

Alexis gave herself 10 minutes of self-pity before she dried her eyes and pulled out of the parking lot. It was dark and it was late. But she felt like her day was just beginning.


	10. Chapter 10

Alexis rolled up to the gate and announced herself. As the large iron bars rolled back, she proceeded to the large home on a small hill. In the moonlight it seemed like a place that was haunted. Alexis shuddered to think that at one time she might have lived there.

The door opened as she approached, "Good evening, Ms. Davis. It's late and the boss has asked if you can come back tomorrow. He's busy."

-"Hi Max. I know it's late, but I have to talk to Sonny."

-"It's really not a great time."

-"Really? Too busy with Carly?" she asked conspiratorially. Max was impassive. "Max. That is her car in the driveway. I know she's here." Alexis sighed. "Look Max, I've had a long night. Tell Sonny it's an urgent legal emergency. The Constitution lost an amendment! Tell him it's the sixth one. Ooh better yet the second-that would be a boon to business. He'll come running on that one." She didn't know why she was being so flippant, she was chalking it up to nervous exhaustion. Her efforts were wasted, though. Max was unmoved. She sighed, "Look, I'm not leaving until I see him. I'll take any heat and say I lied to you to get in."

-"OK. Can you just wait on the sofa? I'll let him know."

-"You're a prince, Max."

Alexis sat and took a couple of deep breaths. Carly and Sonny again? She shook her head, happier than ever she was here to quit. It had been a long time coming; the resignation had been on her computer since the day she started. But it had always been so much easier to stay. It never seemed worth the hassle of a battle with Sonny. Until now.

Sonny padded down the stairs in satin pajama bottoms and a black tank top. He looked at her unsure whether to be annoyed or concerned. "Alexis," he mumbled, "What's going on? Why are you here?"

-"I'm sorry to wake you, Sonny. This couldn't wait anymore." She cocked her head to the side and began her preamble. "When I started working for you again, it was with the understanding that it would be temporary."

-"Well, we had a deal Alexis."

-"We did. And we both fulfilled our parts of it. And I appreciate that I got a chance to work with you again. But it's over now." She passed him a sheet of paper. "I'm sorry, but I have to resign."

Sonny looked at the paper and read the brief statement. "Well, I don't accept this Alexis."

Alexis sighed. She had held onto a brief glimmer of hope that Sonny would thank her, shake her hand and she'd be on her way; she didn't have time to waste on this.

-"Sonny, you have to accept it. I quit."

-"Why? I mean why now?"

-"Sam."

-"What about Sam?"

-"She was arrested today. They think she killed Silas and Nina. It's a mess, and I need to focus all my resources to defend her."

-"Well, OK. You can take some time off. Come back when you're done."

-"Sonny, you're not—ugh. No, I don't have time to explain this. I quit. I can't work for you anymore."

-"Alexis, I don't accept this. I mean we're family."

-"We're not family, Sonny. We're friends. We share a daughter. A daughter who is fully grown and taking care of herself. Sam is my family. Molly is my family. Kristina is my family. You are an old friend. A dear friend, but a friend nonetheless."

Sonny's eyes were hurt, and he was starting to lose his temper. "I'm not about to let you quit, Alexis. You're the best lawyer I've ever had."

-"I've already talked to Diane. She's happy and willing to help you with the transition to a new lawyer. I bet you can even convince her to stay on full time. She misses you, even though she won't admit it."

-"Well, I don't know if I want Diane." He took a minute to look at the note and processed her last statement. "And when do you think this is effective?"

-"Today. Now."

-"No," he shook his head as though the mere act was shutting the door on the conversation.

Alexis looked at him hard. "Sonny, I'm walking out this door. I no longer represent you. When I leave here, I will have one client. My daughter."

-"What if I sue?"

Her mouth agape, Alexis was silent for a full five seconds. "Sue me for what? For able representation for years? For keeping you out of jail when you basically belong there? I have given you notice. I am going to make sure your legal needs continue to be met. I will fulfill all my existing legal obligations to you Sonny. But I am no longer your attorney." Alexis turned to walk out the door, mumbling under her breath "sue me. He thinks he's going to sue me." She whipped around.

-"You know it's amazing to me that you pull the Kristina card every time you need something from me. 'We're family, Alexis' 'My family is your family' Well you know what, Sonny? I've seen how you treat your family. And I don't want any part of it. If you need anything call Diane. I'll work with her."

Sonny started to speak as Alexis turned to walk out the door. He was saying something but she was too angry to hear it. She needed to drown it out. "Goodnight, Carly," she yelled as loud as she could as she slammed the front door behind her.

* * *

><p>By the time Alexis rolled into her spot it was 11. She took the elevator to the penthouse. The fight with Sonny took her back decades earlier and when the doors opened she half-expected to see Johnny standing in front of her door. The key worked on the first try, too. But as she opened the door, the familiar feeling of living alone overwhelmed her. The room was empty.<p>

Alexis put down her keys and heard a noise upstairs. She froze. "Diane?" she called tentatively.

-"Nope. It's me." Julian came bounding down the stairs. He stopped when he saw her. "Hey."

-"What are you doing here?"

-"After the police left, I came up. Diane let me in and we both worked on cleaning stuff up. We figured you and Sam would want to come home to some semblance of order."

Alexis nodded her head and walked over to the bar, pulling out the bottle of Macallan 12 and two glasses. She didn't look at him as she poured the second one, "I'm assuming you want one." She turned and handed him the glass silently on her way to the couch.

-"OK. So I'm assuming Sam isn't parking the car, Alexis. What happened?"

She took a sip from her glass. "They arrested her."

-"What?"

-"Yup. The evidence is all circumstantial, but they felt like they needed to do it." She had yet to look at him. "Look. I know you have questions, but I need to talk to Diane to find out what the police left here with. Can you entertain yourself for a couple of minutes?"

"Sure." Julian watched her walk up the stairs. He was anxious to follow her: patience wasn't one of his virtues and he'd waited hours for news of their daughter. But something about her voice, how she held herself—it was different. It told him his best play was to wait. He looked at the glass she left on the table with a finger's worth of scotch left. She'd be back.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later she walked downstairs, clad in the same yoga pants and t-shirt he'd seen her in the night before. He wished for a moment she'd put on the pale gray robe that always seemed to enhance how luminous she was in the morning. But he stopped himself when he realized he no longer had the right to want that. And then he remembered that one of the reasons why was the robe no longer existed; it was a pile of ashes among roofless rubble next to the lake.<p>

She returned to the living room and sat in the solitary chair. She held up her hand and he passed her the scotch. Alexis took another pull and put it down on the table. For the first time since she'd arrived home, she looked at him.

-"Thank you for cleaning up. I don't think I could have faced this place after the police tore it apart. That was very thoughtful."

-"Alexis. I know you're tired, but tell me about Sam. I'm really worried."

-"It's those paternal instincts kicking in," she smirked. "Well, Julian. It seems that Sam has no alibi, she recently had a fight with Nina and Silas—which a neighbor witnessed—and Silas and Sam broke up."

-"That's it? That's all they have?"

-"For now."

-"What does that mean? 'For now'? Sorry, Alexis, but you're being really cryptic. What's going on?"

She couldn't share Samantha's Adventures at Crichton Clinic with him. She'd have to wait for the police to drop that shoe or Sam to tell him. That left one topic of discussion. She took a deep breath.

-"Give me your wallet."

He looked at her and shook his head in disbelief. "So we're going to do this now? You're going to be my lawyer." Julian sighed exasperatedly. "I thought you couldn't represent me because it was a conflict with Sonny."

-"I don't work for Sonny anymore."

-"Since when?"

-"Since about an hour ago."

-"Why do I need a lawyer, Alexis?"

She giggled. "Really? You're asking me?" The giggling continued, "How would I know, Julian?" She wasn't sure why it struck her as funny, but she couldn't stop laughing. "I'm just playing the odds, really."

His mouth was slightly ajar at the sight of Alexis. For three weeks he would have done anything to hear her laugh again. But this was bitter to his ears. He just wanted it to stop. "I guess I deserve that."

She eased into a sigh. "There's no guessing about it," she said pointedly. Alexis rose and went back to the bar to retrieve the bottle and brought it back to the table. She then opened his wallet and took out the biggest denomination he had. He lifted an eyebrow remembering Sam's retainer of a dollar. "I'm worth it," she winked.

Julian thought she may be a little drunk. This wasn't flirtation; it was something else, something angry. It was a side of her he hadn't seen before. He wasn't sure where she was going, but he felt he needed to move it along.

-"OK. You have your retainer. You're my lawyer. Can we get back to Sam now?"

Alexis raised her glass and toasted in his direction. "Once more into the breach." She drained the glass. God, she wished she had vodka in the house. As the burning subsided, she sat up straighter. She wasn't drunk, or even tipsy really. But the scotch was a nice bit of liquid courage.

-"Right. On to Sam."

-"Can you explain the 'for now'? What are they going to get later?"

-"Yes, I can since it's all on the record now. Silas and Nina were killed with a 22. Sam owns a 22. The PCPD naturally wanted to test the ballistics of the gun, so they got a warrant to get the gun from her office. That's where we were when I called you."

-"Ok, so then why did they search the penthouse?"

-"Great question, Julian. Well, you see it turns out that the gun wasn't in the safe where Sam left it."

-"What do you mean?"

-"I mean yesterday at around 2:15 Sam locked her .22 caliber handgun in her safe. And today at 3-whatever when we went to open the safe, it was gone."

-"How is that possible?"

-"Because someone is setting up our daughter, Julian. That by the way is not on the record. It is the conjecture of the accused and her counsel," Alexis lifted the bottle. "I'm going to have more, any interest?" Julian nodded his head and Alexis poured.

-"So, who'd want to set up our daughter?"

-"You know that's a great question, Julian, and I spent the better part of the day thinking about it."

Julian eyed her without expression. He knew she was warming up to something. He suspected where she was going, but he opted to let her run with it. Julian approached these conversations as poker hands; he'd learned early the best way to hide what you were holding was to wait for your opponent to open. Sharing before you needed to was just another type of tell. He would wait until she made her final bid, then he'd respond accordingly.

Alexis continued. "And do you know what I thought about today? Or I guess I should say who." She paused for dramatic effect. "Ric Lansing."

-"Really?"

Alexis tried to read his face, but she knew it was futile. He would stay impassive until he was in a corner. And that was fine because she had one with his name on it.

-"Yup. It was just a feeling when I was at Sam's office. Something familiar but dangerous. That's when I called you as a matter of fact. But it wasn't until I was in the interrogation room and saw my baby cuffed to the table that I saw his face clearly."

-"Why was that?"

-"Well, I think in that instant I was remembering when Ric was prosecuting Sam for allegedly killing Diego Alcazar and she was cuffed to the table, just like she was today. And from there, it just snowballed. I thought of all the despicable, deplorable things Ric had ever done. I mean, he wasn't just an unbelievably corrupt DA. He threw in with Sonny, and the Alcazars and the Zaccharas. And I'm not even counting what he did to me. Arresting me when I had cancer, the adultery…do you know the reason he started dating me? Because he found out Kristina was Sonny's. No one else knew that but Ned. And then he would go and do something lovely like stand by me when Kristina got sick. Of course that was only because it benefitted him." She knew she was rambling but she didn't care. "In summation, Ric could be sweet on occasion but tended towards being a devious bastard." She looked at Julian who remained stone-faced.

Alexis sighed and looked at her drink, contemplating another sip. She opted to set the drink down on the table, and she turned to Julian. "And in spite of that long list of sins and crimes, do you know he was maybe arrested once? Never charged, I don't think. Never stood trial. And do you know why that is Julian?"

-"No"

-"Because even though he was an asshole, he wasn't the type of asshole that was stupid enough to shoot someone, leave his prints on the gun and then hide it in his hotel room."

Julian took a sip of his drink and turned to her. "It seems you have a point Alexis. So why don't you go ahead and make it."

She continued in a flat voice. "I think you had a boss Julian. And I don't think he liked it when you tried to leave. You needed a fall guy for the drug shipment, so you gave them Ric. I don't know where you found the evidence; it was impressive, by the way. In fact, it's not something you could have developed overnight. Clearly, there were plans in place to set up Ric as a fall guy for months before you actually pulled the trigger. Pun intended, by the way."

She stood up. "So my point: I don't think Ric was your boss." She took a deep breath, "I think you have another boss, Julian. I think you continue to piss him off which is why my house blew up and why he's framing our daughter."

Julian sat silently on the couch. "Alexis…" he trailed off.

Her tone switched from accusing to pleading. "You can tell me, Julian. I'm your lawyer now. It's all confidential. Tell me who it is and we can take him down. We can protect Sam. Please, whatever he wants. Just do it."

-"What makes you think someone's blackmailing me?"

-"Because it doesn't make sense, otherwise. If you want to frame Sam, you use her gun and put it back so the police have it. No, someone's holding onto the gun and using it as leverage."

Julian felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach. He mentally went through the list of things his boss had recently requested. He'd been compliant on all of them. Maybe this was preparation for a new order? Something he thought Julian would balk at?

Alexis looked at Julian and saw the wheels turning. She walked up to him and put her hands around his face. "Just tell me who it is Julian. We can figure our way out of this." He looked at her eyes. He just couldn't do it. It was still too dangerous.

-"Alexis, Ric was my boss. I'm not lying to you."

She pulled away from him in frustration. She was so close! She could feel the tears of anger pooling behind her eyes. She started pacing across the floor.

-"Alexis…"

-"No. You're lying to me. Why? Why can't you trust me?" She could feel the desperation work it's way up through her body. "I figured it out Julian. You're not telling me something I don't already know."

-"Sweetheart…"

-"Don't sweetheart me, Julian. Don't condescend to me. You think I'm that stupid? That I'm some kind of lovesick fool that's going to buy your shit." She stopped and closed her eyes. "Of course that's what you think. Because that's what I've been."

-"Alexis, please…"

The sound of his voice increased her anger "Don't 'Alexis, please' either. Let me tell you something 'sweetheart' you may have given me back my grandson, but you have made me pay for it." He winced as she continued. "My house is gone, Julian. My relationship with Molly is destroyed. My heart? You ripped it out when you lied to me. And I'm not even including how your little war against Sonny is going to hurt Kristina."

She paused for a moment to get her bearings. "But all of this, Julian? All of this is forgivable. It will take time but I can work through it. Because there is a part of me that still loves you and misses you and aches for you."

He looked at her and felt the tears well up.

"But if I lose Sam, Julian…if they rip her from me again, I swear to God not only will I never forgive you, I will make it my *mission* to destroy you. You'll long for the day you could have told me right now, in this living room, who your boss is."

She saw a tear start in the corner of his eye. "Please," her first sob escaped. "Just tell me." And then the sobs kept coming. The exhaustion from the day overwhelmed her. The realization that it was happening all over again; after the miracle of getting Sam back she was going to lose her a second time.

Julian was overwhelmed. Her sobs were tearing into him; he wanted to make it go away. He walked over and gathered her in his arms, pulling her tightly into his chest. As he tried to soothe her, he realized that he was instinctively mimicking the comfort he'd watched her provide her children and his grandson. It was one more thing she'd given him, and he suddenly couldn't remember why he was lying to her. He'd sworn up and down that if he could turn back the clock, he'd fight to keep her and Sam safe. And now it was like fate was calling him out, and he just didn't have the heart to bluff.

Her sobs continued to rack her body and she fell against Julian. She hated him, but she needed him. And then she heard it. At first she thought it was a hallucination, but he repeated it. "Shhh. OK, Alexis. I'll tell you. I promise. But you need to calm down first." And the wave of relief that spread over Alexis just made her hug him harder.


	11. Chapter 11

He was going to tell her.

Alexis and Julian stayed silently entwined. She was exhausted. Her battles with the PCPD, Sonny and Julian had depleted her reserves, and she was reluctant to abandon the embrace until she had drawn enough strength for the final act in the tragedy that had been her day. Julian was using the time to shore up his courage, as he planned his best course of action. The facts he was about to impart would leave only a hairsbreadth chance for her sympathy or understanding. The telling would be as critical as the story itself.

She was the first to grudgingly withdraw, recognizing that at some point she would need sleep for tomorrow's war. Alexis moved to the couch and sank in, pulling her knees to her chest. Julian took a deep breath before moving to the single chair where she sat earlier. He wanted her to have the room she needed to react, and he needed a tactical position with easier access to the bar.

-"Before I start, Alexis...It's a long tale. Are you sure you want to do this tonight?"

-"Yup. I don't trust that you're not going to change your mind overnight. We do this now."

Julian looked at the large brown eyes that were his rapt audience. "OK. So here are the rules."

-"Rules?"

-"Yes. Rules." He paused before realizing he was uncomfortable sitting and stood to pace in front of the table. "This isn't going to be as simple as giving you a name, Alexis. You need to let me tell you in my own way. I know you're going to have questions, but can you save them until the end?"

-"Yes. Although you realize you are forcing me to act against my lawyerly nature."

He smiled ruefully and then went completely serious. "I promise you Alexis, I will answer every question you ask me tonight truthfully."

-"No more lies? Omission or otherwise?"

-"Nope." He'd made that decision on the spot. This slow death by a thousand cuts was dooming the relationship. Had he won her back yesterday, he'd just be trying to do it again in a week when the next lie was peeled away. If he was going to spill, he was going to spill all of it and desperately try to rebuild later. It's why he couldn't bear an interruption: he knew every word he said could lose her to him forever and if he had time to think, he's stop before he even got started.

-"Whenever you're ready then, Julian."

Julian moved over to the couch, surprising her as he grabbed her hands and sat down beside her. "I need you to understand the decisions I've made Alexis, and I cannot do that unless I put this in the proper context." She was surprised and nodded in assent.

He continued. "I love my family, Alexis. And I know when I say 'family' it implies a blood relation. Lucas, Sam, Danny—they're my family. Nothing can change that. And then there's you. I love you, Alexis. I haven't said that very often in my life and I know I've barely said it to you. Because I think you always understood where I stand."

-"I do, Julian. I know you love me," she said quietly.

-"Right. But I still need to say it. Because I don't want there to be any question on this later. I love you, Alexis. And not just in a 'the sex is amazing' and 'you make me happy' way. I love you in the way that makes me want to be better. You challenge me. You don't let me rest on what I've already done. No one has ever let you take the easy way out, and the fact that you can sit here today and still give your heart to anyone is a miracle. But you chose me. And that is a gift that I will never believe I deserve but I will always try to. When I talk about my family, I'm talking about you because you're in my blood. Please tell me you believe this. That you understand this."

Alexis hadn't realized how tightly she'd been squeezing his hands throughout his declaration. She rubbed her thumbs along the back of his hands. "I understand."

Julian kissed the back of her hand as he let go and stood and moved to the other chair. The proximity to her was a reminder of what he had to lose, and he feared he would crumble and break yet another promise—one that was barely 10 minutes old.

-"I've made a lot of decisions, Alexis. And they haven't all been great ones. But they were driven by two things: I was afraid that my boss would kill you or Sam or Danny or Lucas. You all made me easy to control."

-"What's the second?"

He sighed. "That you would hate me. That you'd decide loving me was a mistake and that you'd walk away."

-"So why are you telling me now?"

-"You need to know. We can't help Sam if we're on different wavelengths. And because…it's going to come out. I can try and win you back, but each lie pulls you further away from me. The only way I can ever hope to have you back in my life is to have you be able to trust me again. And I have to earn that."

The room was quiet. "Julian, I get it. So let's do this. Let's rip off the band-aid. Who is your boss?"

He looked at her and sighed, "Honestly? I don't know."

Alexis buried her face in her hands. "Forget it, Julian. I'm tired. It's been a long day. I don't have the time or the energy for this—"

-"I thought you told me you were going to let me finish."

-"Is there something to finish?" She looked up to see him staring at her. He raised his eyebrows. "OK. Sorry. Proceed."

-"I was in witness protection for about five years when I first met my boss. It went pretty much like I told you it had in the past. He told me his name was John Richter."

-"That name doesn't ring a bell."

-"Alexis. Please. No interruptions, remember." Chastised, Alexis tucked her feet beneath her. "Sorry," she mumbled.

-"I didn't recognize the name but he looked really familiar to me. Like I'd met him somewhere before but I couldn't place it. It wasn't until we talked about moving into Port Charles that I figured it out. Well, I mean I didn't so much as figure it out as he told me. He looked familiar to me because I'd seen him in photos when I lived in Port Charles. He was a local legend when I lived here, though I never met him."

Julian interrupted his narrative. "Alexis, this next part is going to take some explaining. I just…I just need you to know that."

Alexis felt a tingling in her spine. "OK."

-"My boss had the same exact face as Luke Spencer. Like, identical. Except he wasn't Luke Spencer. He just had his face and his voice. That's when I found out that John Richter was just an alias. I don't really know what his actual name is."

He stood up and moved behind the table. This was the part he dreaded most—Alexis was friends with Luke and wouldn't take it well. "Do you remember last year when Luke was rescued from Miscavige?"

She sat very still, eyes wide. "Yes."

-"Luke Spencer didn't leave with Scott Baldwin. John Richter did. He's been playing the part of Luke ever since. That man. That's my boss."

Alexis still hadn't moved. The room was quiet. "Can I…can I talk now?"

The feeling of unburdening himself of the weight he'd been carrying did little to elevate Julian's mood. Any elation he may have felt was erased by a new weight: dread. "Yes. You're up now."

Alexis stood and started pacing the room. "I just don't believe it Julian. Luke Spencer can't be your boss."

-"He isn't"

-"I mean he can't be the Luke that I've seen the last six or seven months. He's my friend, Julian. I'd know. And even if he managed to fool me…Lulu? Tracy? There's no way he can fool Tracy, she'd know."

-"He has been off lately."

-"Yes. But that's Luke. He's frequently strange and off. I mean he called me 'Natasha' Julian. NO one calls me Natasha. How would he know that?"

-"He had a source. Someone he could get information from."

-"Who? Who knows that?"

-"The actual Luke Spencer."

Alexis took a few beats. She'd been so focused on how Richter could have impersonated Luke Spencer, she forgot about the name's real owner. "Wait. Where's Luke? God, Julian. Is he alive?"

-"I think so."

-"What do you mean 'you think so'?"

-"Look, Alexis. My boss hasn't exactly been willing to share with me lately. I'm not his most trusted employee. But I do know when he first arrived, he mentioned keeping Luke around while he needed him."

-"What happens when he doesn't need him?"

Julian looked at her. "I'm assuming he kills him."

-"So your boss…if we expose him, Luke will die?"

He jumped in. "Alexis, we can't tell people who he is. He won't just kill Luke. He'll kill Molly, Sam…everyone we love. We can't tell people about this, Alexis. No one."

-"What about Ric? What do we tell Molly?"

-"Nothing, Alexis. Ric is dead. We can't do anything about that. I'm not willing to sacrifice a member of our family to clear a corpse's name."

Alexis winced at the characterization of her ex-husband. But Julian was right. "So this Luke wannabe is your boss. Let's go through this again, and I need all the details, Julian. Don't leave out anything."

Julian spent the next hour walking her through his history with Richter. From the first meeting, to the decision to sell drugs in Port Charles, to the plan to take over ELQ, to finding his boss hovering over a comatose Lucas with breathing tube in hand. He left no stone unturned, detailing the organization. At the end of the conversation, Alexis had a healthy appreciation for the threat they all faced. She felt a twinge as she connected the timing of the increased violence with her decision to submit to her feelings for Julian, but her mind was busy sorting and arranging puzzle pieces and was not inclined to indulge in a period of self-reflection.

-"So I know what we know. Let's just make sure we're clear on what we don't know."

-"Sure."

-"We don't know Richter's real name or why he hates Sonny. We don't know why he chose Luke's appearance or where the real Luke Spencer is. We don't know where the fake Luke Spencer is right now. And we don't know why he's holding Sam's freedom hostage."

-"There's probably more we need to know, but those are the key gaps, yes."

Alexis looked at the clock. It was a little after 3 am. Her brain was wired, but she needed some sleep. She was going to have to fight tomorrow to prevent the PCPD from filing charges, and failing that to get bail for Sam. She would need her wits about her, and anything else could wait at this point. Well, almost anything.

-"Julian. This is important. Have you done anything lately that your boss is pissed at you for? Are you meeting with him anytime soon?"

-"Nothing Alexis. Well, other than killing Mickey. But he seems to be letting that slide for the moment."

-"Or he's not and that's why Sam is in jail."

-"Maybe. But I think we're in the midst of a détente. He knows I have a limit now. I don't think he's holding the gun as retribution—I think it's for something he hasn't asked me to do yet."

-"Promise me something—if there's a request or a deadline, come to me first. Don't do anything on your own. Let me get our girl home first and then we'll deal with this threat."

-"Alexis, if I tell you about a crime that's going to happen, it will implicate you."

-"You're kidding right? Julian you just outline a massive criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, drug dealing, murder and God knows what else. I'm already guilty of participating by not saying anything. The only thing you can do for me now is NOT waste this sacrifice by holding something back."

Julian walked over and put his hands around her face. "OK. I promise, no more secrets." He was too afraid to kiss her lips, so he focused on her forehead, trying to reclaim those moments of connection they had the night before. But Alexis didn't sink into it, instead she sighed wearily and withdrew. "Julian, I'm tired. I need to go to bed."

He nodded and stepped away. "Is there anything I can do? Alexis, I don't wait well—I'm not built for it. I know I said I'd do nothing for three days but…" His thought drifted off.

Alexis gave him a slight smile, "No. You are not a patient man. I'm going to be spending the better part of tomorrow fighting to get Sam home. So there are two things you can do for me."

Julian perked up, happy to be given an assignment. "First, I don't want this apartment empty. I don't trust that whoever stole that gun isn't going to break in here and plant evidence. Can you stay here? Or at least make sure it's covered by people that aren't Richter's?"

-"I can do that. What's the second one?"

-"Well, I don't know that you can do both. The best thing that could happen for us is that we have an alibi for Sam." She looked a Julian hard: "A REAL alibi, Julian. But again—"

-"I know. I can't use my boss's men."

-"Yup. And we can't buy one. I need an actual person who saw Sam at the lake house." She mumbled, "And it would also be very helpful if the gun didn't appear tomorrow." She started to make her way up the stairs. "I'm off to bed. You can stay…on the couch if you want. I know it's late."

Julian wasn't sure if he should be hopeful at the invitation or crushed by the casual way it was issued. He needed more. "Normally, I'd go home Alexis, but I don't like the idea of you being here alone."

-"Me neither. Let me get you some linens for the sofa."

-"I'll be fine. I'm suddenly so tired, I could sleep standing up."

Alexis went up the stairs and grabbed a pillow and blanket. She thought back to the last time a mobster slept on the couch in this apartment. And then she smiled, realizing that Sonny probably wasn't the last one—she was fairly certain Jason had earned a few nights on the furniture during his marriage to Sam. Alexis wasn't sure why she found it funny; she chalked it up to a lifetime of trying to find humor in the darkest of circumstances.

She descended the stairs to find Julian shirtless and held the bedding to him in outstretched arms. Julian took the offering, letting his fingers linger over hers. "Thank you. Good night, Alexis."

Alexis felt a flush and moved quickly before he saw the telltale sign of how he affected her. "Good night Julian."

Great. Now she was never getting to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Alexis was correct in her suspicions that she'd spend the bulk of the night tossing and turning, although that was less a result of Julian's proximity than it was the information he relayed. Without understanding the price this 'John Richter' would demand for Sam's freedom, there was little she could do to defend against it. She also had her plan for Sam's release from the PCPD well in hand. So Alexis spent the bulk of whatever remained of the night focusing on an offensive that would rid their lives of Julian's boss for good.

The thought that the man she had known as Luke Spencer for the preceding months was actually a cold-blooded killer rattled her. It was about 4 am when she sat up in bed, realizing that she barely escaped death after the Nurse's Ball. That served as the first domino: then all the odd conversations with Luke began to make sense. Richter—or whatever his real name was—had picked perfect foils. As Luke's lifetime of odd behavior made him easy to impersonate imperfectly without suspicion, so Ric Lansing's life of fraternal animosity and mob ties made him the perfect patsy. Julian's boss was vicious and violent. And he was cunning.

Alexis hadn't been able to save Ric, but she would be damned if she was going to leave Luke hanging alone out there. She already had the first tendrils of a plan working through her brain. But it would have to wait until she could free Sam.

* * *

><p>Her strategy was to tiptoe down the stairs, steal a mug of coffee and then return to her room to get ready for the day ahead…all without waking him. Their morning routine in the kitchen was as emotionally intimate as their morning routine in the bedroom, and she wanted to avoid it. But the odors of coffee and bacon told her that Julian hadn't passed up the advantage of proximity to try and earn some good will. The pattern of their breakup was a few weeks of Julian trying to distract her flank with thoughtful gestures and flattery before advancing with a frontal assault that would temporarily throw her. After succumbing to his advances, she'd redraw the line and he'd work his way up to crossing it again. Charm. Conquer. Repeat. This morning he was executing step one.<p>

But his moves were thwarted by both the strangeness of the kitchen and the physical distance she put between them. Julian was too guilty after his revelations last night to push anything, and Alexis hoped that would include the discussion of their relationship—a concession she made to prevent his interference in Sam's legal strategy. Breakfast was fairly quiet and ended on a brief exchange:

-"While you're getting ready, I'm going to run by the penthouse and pick up some clothes and my laptop. Maybe a book."

-"Got it. I'm out of here in an hour—is that enough time?"

-"Plenty."

He briefly kissed her on her cheek, careful not to let his lips linger. She escorted him as far as the landing before she registered his gesture, and then fled upstairs to prepare herself for the day.

* * *

><p>She was at the PCPD by 8 am and it was another hour before they brought Sam upstairs. Alexis put her daughter's favorite breakfast and coffee on the table and watched as her daughter wolfed it down, periodically throwing a question her way. Detectives Nagy and Falconieri eventually entered the room. They proceeded with another hour's worth of questions, before Alexis posed a few of her own.<p>

-"This is fairly repetitive. We covered all of this yesterday. Has there been any progress in the case as yet? Any new questions for my client? Any new suspects?"

Det. Nagy responded. "We're still working a few angles and when we have more information, we'll ask questions as appropriate."

-"Well, how about this: do you have any evidence implicating my client yet?"

Det. Nagy looked at Alexis dumbfounded. "You mean other than the fact she was his ex-mistress, they had a fight, her missing gun is the same make as the murder weapon, and she has no alibi?" Her tone took on an edge of sarcasm. "No. That's all we have."

-"So…nothing?" Alexis shook off the new detective's speech.

-"How is that nothing counselor?" Nagy's tone drew a glare from her partner.

-"Well, she's one of at least two exes Silas has in town—and we haven't even begun to look at who his wife may have been fooling around with. You can't place Sam at the scene and you don't have a murder weapon. All you do have right now is the fact that they broke up, and I believe you have a witness who overheard Sam ending the relationship-so motive is dubious. From where I'm sitting, that doesn't look like anything."

Det. Nagy sat silently, giving Sam and her attorney a dead-eyed stare. But the color slowly rising up her neck let Alexis know that she had stung the detective's pride.

Alexis tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, "So…since it doesn't look like you're formally charging my client and it doesn't like you have any new questions, how about we put an end to this and let Sam get home to her baby?"

-"We can hold her for 48 hours," Det. Nagy parried, unwilling to concede the point.

Alexis looked thoughtful. "Hmmm. Well, let me put it to you this way. You've arrested a young widow with a baby at home without any evidence that ties her to the scene or the crime itself. If you anticipate that set of circumstances changing in the next 24 hours, then certainly hold her. But if you're not waiting on a big break that you're fairly sure is going to happen, let me tell you what you're risking: me calling the PCPD out for harassment and a potential lawsuit. I'm going to be on the news screaming about this case so often they may let me take over the weather update just for the hell of it." Alexis's inflection shifted from instructional to curious. "Have you met Mayor Lomax, Det. Nagy."

-"No."

-"Oh, you'll love her," Alexis crowed. "I think my favorite thing about her is that she's really focused on the press, especially now with an election coming up. She's a big fan of 'optics', Detective." Alexis took a moment to let her foil absorb her full meaning. "So it's up to you. Ask your partner, Det. Nagy. Det. Falconieri knows how this works."

The room was uncomfortably quiet before the detectives excused themselves to speak with the Commissioner.

Sam heard the click before she spoke, and turned to her mother. "I forgot."

-"Forgot what, sweetheart?"

-"Just how much you completely kick ass." Sam's face radiated awe and pride.

-"I feel like that compliment speaks well of my legal skills, but the fact that you've seen me in action enough to make that statement is a condemnation of my success as a parent."

-"Mom—"

-"I know sweetheart. Just a little gallows humor—" Sam raised an eyebrow. "Not that anyone is going to the gallows mind you…I'm sorry sweetie." Alexis sighed, "I'm just really tired."

* * *

><p>Julian spent the morning on the phone with his security contacts to see if they had any luck with the video. Unmentioned in his conversations with Alexis was the slew of security cameras he had installed around the Lake House after Lucas was shot. They were monitored fairly regularly, but apparently not with enough diligence to notice the hooded figure planting a bomb in the mailbox. The guard thought it was a high school kid dropping something off for Molly. Upon review of the tape, the company saw the culprit briefly in the treeline, but his path up along the lake wasn't covered by the camera angles. It was a mistake that would have been rectified if there had been anything left to keep secure.<p>

Although the physical monitoring had stopped, the cameras' default state included recording for 30 straight minutes once the motion sensors were tripped. So the cameras were still recording-all except the one mounted in the tree next to the house facing the driveway. That camera had been damaged in the explosion and the security company had been trying to see if they could pull anything that would place Sam there. Julian additionally was paying for a forensic team to see if anything was salvageable, but so far no luck. The other recording devices along the property didn't have the right angle to see Sam's position by the lake, but they would be reviewed eventually, just in case they could yield anything usable.

Julian had opted not to share this little tidbit with Alexis. Revealing the existence of the cameras to his daughter's defense attorney meant she may need to reveal it to the DA. And if she did that and there was nothing on the tapes it could strengthen the case against Sam. It seemed far more prudent to be silent until he knew if there was something useful. He also didn't relish having to explain that he had been—for all intents and purposes—spying on Alexis. He was already skating on fairly thin ice.

After his sole meeting of the day concluded, Julian called around to the insurance company, Alexis's former neighbors and the lake's gas station to try and track down some of the local retirees that fished during the week—anyone who may have seen the figure of a woman sitting next to the ruins of a home. But he was unsuccessful in finding someone who saw his daughter. Julian was now waiting for information from others so he could proceed. He was bored, and the temptation to open Alexis's door and be close to her things—smell her shampoo, her perfume, her hand lotion—was so great he opted for chores to occupy his time.

* * *

><p>When Alexis and Sam showed up in the early evening, they found Danny's laundry done, the living room spotless and the beginnings of dinner in the kitchen. Julian was surprised when he found a crock-pot and paid a teenager down the hall to pick up ingredients for chili and deliver them to the penthouse.<p>

The smell of cooking emanating from her stovetop would have bowled Sam over if her father literally hadn't done so first. His embrace was immediate and unrelenting, and accentuated by a big, enthusiastic kiss on her forehead. Sam threw her mother a questioning glance as she tried to navigate how her arrest had served as an accelerant in her relationship with her father. Julian seemed like he was three steps ahead, and Sam tried her best to respond in kind. He sensed her awkwardness, and hoping to ameliorate the discomfort he caused, he pulled away.

-"I'm so glad you're home."

-"Me too...Dad. It's good to be home." She quickly looked for a new topic. "So, what are you cooking?"

-"Chili."

-"Wow. Ambitious. Vegetarian?"

-"No…actually there aren't any beans in it. I don't really like them. I'm sorry, I should have thought—"

-"No, Julian-Dad. It's great. Thank you. I love it." Sam was struggling. She felt both close and distant and wasn't sure how to deal with Julian. "And it's supposed to get a little colder this week, so the leftovers will be great."

Alexis looked between father and daughter. "I'm going to run up and take a shower. I can take that basket up." She smiled at Julian, "Wow. Laundry too. You may need to keep him, Sam."

-"Just Danny's. I know better than to put your clothes in the washing machine without explicit instructions, Alexis."

His eyes bored into her, and she flashed back to an argument months ago where he shrunk one of her favorite sweaters. It had started with her dressing him down and ended with her undressed and moaning as she braced herself against the dryer. Now she was silent as she picked up the laundry basket and headed to her room.

Sam watched her mother climb the stairs and turned to see her father was also watching with a far greater degree of intensity. Feeling like a voyeur in her own living room, she turned to Julian, "So, Mom said you were looking into an alibi for me today. Any luck?"

-"Nothing yet. But I'm hopeful. I have a couple of leads and I still have to try and track down those two guys in the blue boat."

-"Oh! I didn't even think of them. They were out there every day." She made a face as she sorted through a mental inventory of the day. "I don't know if I saw them, though. I remember a water skier, but they were going so fast."

-"Anything will help, Sam—anything you remember about the boat?"

-"I remember they were loud. They were cranking music. Something hip-hop. Ugh I know this song and it's going to kill me until I remember it."

-"The song probably isn't important. Do you remember the general time, or color of the boat—anything?"

-"No. I'll sleep on it…Julian."

Julian looked up to see his daughter appraising him. He heard her murmur an apology.

-"Why are you sorry, Sam?"

She sighed. "I don't know what to do around you."

-"Sam, there's nothing you have to do—"

-"No. It's that sometimes it feels like the right thing to say 'Dad.' But I don't really know you yet. And so other times it feels awkward." She looked away in thought. "I feel like you *want *me to call you, Dad. And I think that needs to be something that just rolls off the tongue. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't. I just…"

-"You just what?"

-"I just don't want you to be offended or hurt when I switch back to Julian. I appreciate everything you've done for me." She stammered. "It's really intense right now. All of this. I know you're my father. I *feel* you're my father. I'm just not always ready to say 'Dad.'" She looked up at him hopefully, "Are you OK with that? I just don't want to screw around with your head."

Julian looked at his daughter. She was so small to him. There were looks she gave—like at just that moment—where he could delude himself that she was a teenager coming to him for advice. He wanted so badly to recover what was stolen that his regrets of the past sometimes overwhelmed the gifts of the present.

-"This is what's in my head, Sam. You're my daughter. It doesn't matter what you call me. You can call me 'Dad' or 'Julian'-" He smirked as he added, "-or 'son of a bitch' for that matter. It doesn't change the connection I feel to you or for you."

Sam smiled. "OK. Then I have a confession to make."

-"What is it?"

-"As much as I appreciate the cooking and the help today—I'm not going to stay for dinner." She bit her bottom lip. "I just came home to pick up some clothes. I want to go to Wyndamere to see my boy. By the time I get out there, it will be bath and story time, so I'm going to stay out there and bring him back in the morning. Can we do lunch tomorrow? You, me and Mom?"

-"Yes." The response was instinctive and Julian immediately understood in that moment the meaning of 'Daddy's Little Girl.' He walked over and grabbed her shoulders, turned her around and marched her towards the stairs. "You better move it if you want to make it for bath time."

Sam spun around. "She knows."

Julian winced. Had Alexis learned about the cameras? "Who knows?"

-"Sorry. The song. The song they were playing in the boat was 'She Knows.' By J. Cole, I think."

-"OK. Water skiers playing J. Cole. On it." He smiled. "Now go pack."


	13. Chapter 13

"Damn him."

Alexis intended to take a shower to ease the tension after a full day at the PCPD. Instead, she spent the exercise exorcising herself of Julian. His allusion to the dryer incident led to memories of an endless string of liaisons she desperately tried to suppress. The hot water she planned to help soothe her achy muscles was replaced with cold to inhibit the chain reaction Julian's power of suggestion had set off on her body. The roaring flush and fire that had spread through her torso earlier was replaced with a low hum. She was exhausted but it would now be hours before she slept, unless she could find a way to relax. Convinced that a glass of the merlot she bought earlier that week was enough to induce sleep, Alexis rushed to share some with Sam before she fled to her son.

* * *

><p>She planned poorly. By the time she made it downstairs in the least sexy ensemble she could find—a pair of men's sweatpants that were NOT Julian's, and a baggy T-shirt that rendered her curveless—Sam had gone. All that awaited her was Julian and dinner.<p>

-"Hey." Julian was setting the table, as he smiled at her. "You brought her home. I'm impressed."

-"Don't be. A defense attorney's job is to get her client out. Especially if she's innocent."

-"Did they even charge her?"

-"No. But—"

-"But what?"

-"I don't think they're looking elsewhere. And they didn't charge her. So that leads me to believe—"

-"—that they're working on collecting evidence they can use to make any charges stick?"

-"Maybe." Alexis closed her eyes. "Sorry. I'm not very sharp right now. There's something off, but I'm too exhausted to focus on what it is. All I know is that she's free tonight." Her eyes darted around the room, looking for something.

-"What is it?"

-"Wine. Have you seen a bottle of merlot?" she asked under her breath as she headed towards the bar.

They sat, just the two of them. In an effort to create a clinical ambiance, Alexis had adjusted the overhead lighting to its full setting, the result a garish glow that covered the whole room.

-"This smells amazing." She touched his hand out of habit, then quickly withdrew it. "Thank you."

-"Least I could do. I had a lot of time today and haven't made this in forever. Seeing the crock pot kind of reminded me what a shame that was."

-"If you don't say so yourself."

-"Yup. You just wait."

Alexis took a bite. "Wow. That is good. Hot though."

-"It is chili, Alexis."

-"I know, but this is packing a lot of heat."

He tipped the bottle of wine in her direction and poured at her silent assent. Julian was preparing himself for a long, emotional night of planning so he opted to take a pass on the alcohol. With her glass full, he decided to get the ball rolling. "So, Sam's home. Now what?"

She sighed, "Julian, I know I promised you a conversation about Sam's legal strategy and how we'd work together. But can we save it for the morning? I'm exhausted, and I think Sam should probably be here for it."

-"Sure. That's fair." He was quiet. "You know Alexis, there was another conversation you promised me."

Alexis nodded as she chewed. Suddenly, her eyes teared up and she started to choke.

-"Alexis, are you OK?"

She gasped, "Water."

-"What?"

-"More water, give me water." Alexis guzzled his water glass and started to drain the only other object on the table that offered relief: the merlot. Her attempts were useless though, and her face was flushed a color not seen since she fell asleep on a Cretan beach when she was 11.

Julian appeared with a pitcher and refilled Alexis's glass. She could not stop drinking. In between gulps, she asked "Are you trying to kill me? Yourself? Jeez, Julian."

He looked at her helplessly, wondering in retrospect if the habañero pepper had been a mistake. She looked miserable, and he wasn't sure how to help. Then he was hit by a flash of inspiration and went digging through the kitchen. He ran back to the dining room and handed her a small pouch with Elmo on the front.

-"Elmo? What the hell am I supposed to do with this Julian?"

-"In Indian restaurants they serve yogurt to help with the heat. This is…the only yogurt in the house."

Alexis was in too much pain to be embarrassed, and she quickly cracked open the top and started slurping. She assumed there was fruit in it, but she was unable to identify it. In fact, she was fairly certain she would never be able to taste anything again. But as she reached the end of the pouch, she started to feel relief. Her wide eyes looked at Julian as her sunken cheeks tried to extract the last drops of this new life-saving elixir.

-"More."

Julian ran to fulfill her request. By the time she finished the second pouch with Ernie emblazoned on the front, Alexis was feeling more like herself. Her mouth was numb, but she wasn't in pain and the face sweats appeared to have stopped. She politely but firmly pushed the chili away from her plate. "I appreciate the gesture, but I'm done."

-"But you only had one bite."

She looked at him like he was from Mars until she realized he was kidding.

-"Are you OK?" he asked seriously.

-"I am now."

-"No lasting effects?"

-"I don't think so, although I can't taste anything."

-"I'm sorry."

-"How much pepper is in that?"

-"Well I usually just cook it to taste."

-"Wait, you *tasted* that before you served it?"

-"Yeah. It was fine."

-"Were your taste buds forged on the sun?"

-"No. They were forged by the gods on Mt. Olympus. Along with the rest of me." She rolled her eyes before she started giggling and he joined her before shifting to sympathy. "Do you want me to order pizza?"

Alexis smiled. "No. I'm actually quite full of Elmo and Ernie. Besides, I don't trust you." Julian flinched involuntarily, and she jumped in, "I mean I don't trust you with anything associated with food. Because you just tried to kill me."

She tried to keep it light, but the moment had passed. He was looking intently at her wine glass. "Julian, I didn't mean—"

-"It's fine Alexis. I know what you meant. I just want to fix this. I don't know how."

She grabbed a clean wine glass and provided him with a generous pour. His look questioned her.

-"In vino veritas, Julian. Maybe the answers are at the bottom of this bottle." She was desperately trying to keep the mood easy. "It's OK to have a glass," she added conspiratorially. "I won't tell."

Julian looked at the wine and decided to follow her lead. He smiled "Well, if you do, I'll just show Danny photos of you slurping down his favorite Elmo yogurt."

-"You bastard! You're playing dirty with a toddler. I see your plan now. This was a setup—framing me to become the favorite grandparent. You are depraved, Julian Jerome."

-"Incorrigible"

-"Infamous"

-"Irredeemable."

She stopped smiling and looked into his eyes. "I hope not." Julian started to speak, and she cut him off.

-"Julian, I know I promised you a conversation about us tonight. But I just…" Her voice trailed off.

He looked down at his hands. "I know that what I did is probably unforgivable. But I love you too much to not try and make it right."

She nodded. "I just don't want to do this tonight. The last 48 hours have been mind numbing and tomorrow this house will be filled with Danny and Sam and Molly. And we'll need to work on clearing Sam. Everyone needs me and I just want to have the energy." Alexis looked at him, "I just want a night where there's nothing heavy. Where there aren't any life or death decisions. Where I'm not crying myself to sleep. Can we just…I don't know. Take a time out? Just for tonight?"

Julian looked at her and smiled. He stood up and extended his hand. "Sure. What do you have on the DVR?"

-"Not sure. Let's give it a whirl."

* * *

><p>They moved to the couch, wine in hand. The DVR was filled to capacity with nature shows, Molly's soaps, 42 episodes of a show Sam planned to get to at some point, but nothing that held their interest. They moved to the channels and found an old Hitchcock movie on TMC. "Notorious" was halfway over, but Julian had never seen the end, so they decided to give it a shot.<p>

The room was quiet as they made idle comments—about how Ingrid Bergman glowed or how Cary Grant's face held a trace of menace. At one point they tried to name as many movies as they could with Claude Raines in them. Alexis emerged the expert when she threw out Robin Hood to beat Julian's total. But for the most part, they watched the movie and quietly sipped their wine.

Normally the two would have been entwined on the couch. But Julian was sensitive to Alexis's state and decided to sit as close to her as he could get without touching. The distance wasn't exactly platonic, but it wasn't the tangle of limbs his body was yearning for either. The effort put into the seating arrangement didn't stop him from idly linking his right pinky with her left at some point during the movie.

She put her head back onto the couch and shut her eyes as the tension of the day was replaced by a new tension. She felt his fingers lightly trace the length of each of her own and she rotated her hand so he could explore her palm. The movie played in the background, and she could hear Cary Grant ministering to a sick Ingrid Bergman on screen. Alexis moved her fingers to trace his as he had traced hers. She felt the air around her thicken and she parted her lips slightly to better access the oxygen she needed.

Julian kept his eyes locked on the television, watching as the hero swept up a poisoned Bergman lying on her bed. As Grant declared his love for her, Julian's movements became more urgent. His right thumb made circles on Alexis's left palm and as he felt her extend her fingers so her hand was taut he applied more pressure with each circle. He had only touched her hand and he was overwhelmed. Julian turned to look at her and found her head back, lips parted and face flushed. He moved to put down the wine glass he had been clutching for dear life.

Alexis was on fire. The odd eroticism of the massage worked itself into every atom in her body. Somewhere she heard Ingrid Bergman saying, "I love you, I love you, I love you" but all her focus was on what Julian was doing to her hand. She felt the couch shift and her eyes opened. His heavy-lidded, black eyes held her own as their fingers continued to serve as a conductor for the current that ran between them.

His gaze didn't leave hers as he whispered, "It's a time-out, right?"

Alexis nodded as his head moved towards hers and kissed her lightly at first on the lips. He looked at her one last time and whispered, "I love you, I love you, I love you," before closing his eyes and kissing her. All that connected them were their mouths and hands. Julian had a fleeting thought that he didn't want to wake up on the couch alone before surrendering to the sensations of the kiss and the hand massage that continued. Alexis felt she couldn't breathe and Julian was her only source of oxygen. She wasn't sure where he started and she began, but the only way to relieve the tension that crushed her was to surrender to it.

Neither one could tell how long they sat on the couch kissing. Julian was the first to shift position as he slipped his left arm under her legs and lifted her as he stood. The television droned on, but he wasn't going to break the connection to turn off the TV. He opened his eyes as a concession to practicality as he carried her up the stairs to her room.

* * *

><p>They lay naked on the bed with their legs entwined facing each other. Streetlights from outside provided the only illumination on the room, but they were close enough to make out the eyes of the other as their breath intertwined. They had made love slowly, breaking their tradition of frenzied coupling after an extended absence. The intensity continued after the release and neither wanted to break it.<p>

-"I love you."

-"I know. I love you, too."

-"I'd give up anything for you, you know that, right?"

-"Yes."

The room was silent as Alexis scooted to get closer, positioning her head beneath his chin. It was the first time in hours she wasn't looking at him, but the wall of his chest in front of her and his head above her created a cocooning effect: she was safe and surrounded.

-"I'm afraid," she mumbled into her makeshift confessional.

-"Of what?" He whispered in her ear. "There's nothing under the bed. I checked."

She gave a throaty laugh, "When? I'm pretty sure you were only checking out one thing when we got in this room."

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "You're right. I'm actually just *hoping* there's nothing under the bed."

She lazily replied, "My hero isn't going to look?"

-"Nope. That requires moving, and I'm not letting go of you. If there is a monster down there, he can take me like this."

-"He gets me, too."

-"Good. Then we go together."

-"Great." She sighed, "Now I have 'Grease' in my head."

Julian dropped his voice an octave and shattered the quiet by singing "Like shama lama lama dingidy ding a dong."

They giggled together. "Wow. That was…terrible. Good thing you could rock that leather jacket."

-"I could rock it, huh? How hot was I? Come on, it's just us here. You can tell me."

She tilted her head up to look at him. "I'm pretty sure I told you the six thousand other times you've asked. You were so hot, I got pregnant." Alexis kissed his chin before snuggling back into his chest.

He lazily ran his hand up and down her arm. He murmured, "So. What are you afraid of?"

Alexis was quiet as she shifted, still on her side and curling her hands up to her chin as she snuggled against him.

-"Losing."

-"Sam's case."

-"No. I mean yes. Losing Sam. Or Molly. Or Danny. Or Kristina…or you."

-"I won't let him hurt you, Alexis. I'll never let him hurt any of you." He put his arms around her and pulled her into his body so her head rested on his chest.

-"Not just like that. I'm afraid that Sam is going to go to jail. Or that Molly will never forgive me. Or that I have to give you up."

Julian was quiet for a while. "You know what I'm afraid of?" he mumbled.

-"No."

-"Losing you." She was silent as he continued. "At first I thought, I could live without you as long as you were alive. That it was better to let you go and have you breathing than to not have you at all. And it is, by the way."

-"Thanks. That's encouraging to hear."

-"But the last month has taught me something, and it's that I'm not that selfless. I want to be here. Like this. Always."

-"Julian, I—"

-"Shhh. Not finished yet. I know you have to choose, and I know that you may not be able to choose me. But I'll wait Alexis. I'll wait two weeks or two years or two decades. But I'm never giving up on this." He turned her face up to look at him. "So you do what you have to do. And if you let me go, I'm going to be your friend. And I'm going to wait."

She leaned up to kiss him, her eyes dangerously close to spilling tears. "You're going to wait, huh? Just be my friend. That sounds like something that requires a lot of…patience."

-"Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm hoping for the two weeks as opposed to two decades. And I'm not saying that as your friend, I won't try to change your mind with stolen kisses or shoulder rubs or hand massages."

-"That last one was a winner."

-"Fuck yeah it was."

She curled back into his chest. The room was quiet, and she worked to match her breathing in time with his. Julian's had slowed.

-"Julian? Are you awake?"

A drowsy response of "yes" could be heard.

Alexis shifted her body so she lay on top of him. She pulled herself up his torso until they were face to face.

-"The only place I feel safe and whole is right here. And if I have to give you up, well, it won't be two decades. I'm not a patient person either."


	14. Chapter 14

Julian awoke alone in the darkened bedroom. He assumed Alexis was in the bathroom and decided to wait for her return before succumbing once more to sleep. Wrapped in thoughts of how they spent the evening, he took a few minutes to realize she'd been gone too long. The darkness under the bathroom door confirmed his first instinct was incorrect. Worried, he rose from the bed and tiptoed through the second floor hallway. Julian found her curled up in Sam's bed wearing a T-shirt and shorts. He watched her for a few minutes, saddened that the brief window of time they shared had apparently closed without his knowledge: he had hoped for a longer reprieve. Julian briefly considered sleeping in the overstuffed chair by the window, but it was obvious she needed distance. He opted to oblige her.

* * *

><p>Alexis awoke in a foreign bed to the smell of coffee. She turned her head to see Julian dressed and sitting at the foot of the bed, his packed bag on the floor and her breakfast perched on the nightstand. She shut her eyes for one last moment before opening them to confront the awkward morning after.<p>

-"Hey."

-"Morning," she smiled. "Coffee delivered? What service. Thank you. What time is it?"

-"9:30"

Alexis raised herself to her elbows in a slight panic. "What?"

-"Yup. You were so tired I decided to let you sleep. But now I have some work to do, so I'm going to head out."

As she sipped her coffee and more fully entered the land of the living, Alexis remembered that with Sam out of jail and Sonny a memory she didn't have anywhere to be. She was unsure what to say to Julian after she muddled them further last night, so she ate some of her omelet blaming her silence on good manners as opposed to abject terror.

-"So," he started

She swallowed another sip of coffee. "Yes."

-"I was thinking I'd come back this afternoon so you and Sam and me can discuss strategy."

-"Sure." Alexis mentally willed him to leave so she could think about how she wanted to handle him.

-"But before we talk to Sam, Alexis, you and I need to talk."

She sighed. He was apparently going to push the issue. "Look, Julian. About last—"

-"We can get to that later. I'm more concerned about my boss. Sam can't know about him, Alexis. It's bad enough I had to tell you. I can't risk her knowing as well."

Alexis knew Julian was right: Sam struggled with discretion, particularly when she was angry or emotional. "I get it. It's just that I'm going to have a hard time lying to her and Molly."

-"I know. But here's the thing. Until she's cleared, Sam will need me. I can't have her ignoring my help or keeping me out of the loop because she's pissed about my lying. Not to mention the fact that she's as tenacious as you are, and if she finds out about my boss she's not going to sit on her hands—she's going to do something about it. I need you to help me keep her away from this stuff with Luke…at least until I can neutralize him."

-"What if you can't?"

-"I'll figure it out, Alexis."

She wasn't particularly reassured, but she also wasn't in the mood for a fight. She was raw after the events of the past few days, and she needed time alone to regroup before her next move. Compromise would be her strategy for the morning. "OK. But then I want something from you."

-"What?"

-"You share anything with me that your boss wants. As soon as he mentions our daughter you share that with me. I can't defend her if I don't know where the next hit is coming from, Julian."

-"Done."

She sat up so they were face to face. "I mean it, Julian. I don't want any more of this splitting hairs crap. I want you to adhere to the spirit AND the letter of this request. If it wasn't clear before, I consider a lie of omission a lie, Julian."

Julian sighed. He rubbed his temples and looked at her. The morning was a reset of where they had been yesterday, as if the previous night hadn't happened. His voice held the faintest trace of impatience. "I get it Alexis. We're on the same page. No more lies."

-"OK. Then I'll see you at lunch." She smiled at him. "Why don't you bring something for the three of us. See if you can top breakfast."

* * *

><p>Sam strode in laden with Danny and his accoutrements. One of Nikolas's men helped escort her to the door and then left. Alexis closed her laptop at their arrival. "Here's my big boy!" She beamed as she grabbed her grandson in a squeeze that left him squirming for air. The hard-nosed lawyer traded the legalese of the previous 48 hours for toddler-speak.<p>

-"Gee, Mom. I'm here, too."

-"Yes you are, my love. But I've seen you. This is my man. I've missed him."

-"OK, Grandma. I see you're anxious for your reunion. Can you watch him while I put his stuff upstairs?"

-"Can I?" Alexis started tickling Danny. "Can I? Sure, I can."

-"Oh, also? Mom? Mom!" Alexis jerked her head up and threw Sam an expression that was both exasperated and bade her to continue. "Nikolas said that he discussed Markos with you?"

-"Yup. We're going to need to make sure that whoever is framing you doesn't have access to the apartment. A Cassadine-employed titan at the door 24/7 should make our nemesis think twice."

-"I think you mean 'my' nemesis."

-"Your nemesis is my nemesis, sweetheart. That's how parenthood works," she said lightly. "Go, unpack. Me and my man are going to do some reading. I figure we'd start with some 'Llama Llama Red Pajama' then maybe Homer in the original Greek." She saw Sam's face, "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll edit out the inappropriate parts." She turned to Danny, "Would you like that my little man? I think you would!"

Sam shook her head, turned on her heel and took the bags upstairs.

After some quality reading time, Sam put Danny down for his nap and then joined her mother on the couch. "I can't believe you're reading to him in Greek."

-"Why not? This is when he's a little sponge. It's the best time to teach him a new language. Besides, Danny and I need a secret code so we can conspire against his mother."

Sam made a face as she changed the topic. "So, was someone sleeping in my room?"

-"Oh. Yes. That was me. I fell asleep there."

Sam smiled as she drew out her one-word question, "Whyyyyyyy?"

Alexis ignored the implication of that tone. "Well, I felt bad about your father sleeping on the couch, so I let him sleep in my bed."

-"…aaaaand?"

-"And I didn't feel comfortable spending the night in the same bed so I slept in your room. I hope you don't mind."

-"No, I don't mind, I'm just curious."

Alexis knew when she was being cross-examined, and she was ready to deflect. "About?"

-"About you two. You seem to be getting along pretty well right now."

-"Well, we are."

-"I know but I mean…you're broken up."

-"Sam, we have a mutual interest right now which is your freedom. This isn't unheard of, you know. I've worked with Sonny when Kristina was making terrible choices, and even Ric and I could be civil when it came to keeping Molly safe."

-"This is different."

-"It's different in that it's recent. But I'm remarkably adept at compartmentalizing when I need to. It's fine, sweetheart."

-"Mom. Come on."

-"Come on what? What do you want me to say, Sam?"

-"You and Dad."

Alexis saw her way out and jumped on it. "Dad, huh?"

-"Julian. You and Julian. You and Dad. Whatever." Sam cursed herself silently.

-"It's pretty significant that you called him, Dad."

-"And it's pretty obvious that you're ignoring my question."

-"Sam, you haven't actually asked me a question. We're working together to help you. That's it."

-"That's it. There are no feelings there, Mom? You've been spending a lot of time alone with him."

-"Yes. That's it."

-"Or that's all you want to talk about."

-"Sam I've answered you. You can try and use different words to ask the same question, but it's not going to change my response."

Sam couldn't hide her frustration and gave a petulant "Fine."

-"Fine. New topic." Alexis adopted a cheery tone. "How's Nikolas?"

Her daughter smiled. "He's good. He's got his hands full with Spencer—"

-"—Tell me about it."

-"But other than that, he was the perfect host as usual. I think he's got some issues in his love life, but he seems to be pretty settled on Liz, so I guess that's good."

-"Well, it's good if she reciprocates."

Sam sat up and clapped her hands together. "Oh and I almost forgot! We met Uncle Victor!"

Alexis wrinkled her forehead in confusion. "Uncle Victor? My Uncle Victor? Victor Cassadine?"

-"Yup. And you are soooo busted when Molly comes home, by the way. She must have asked him every question she could think of about the Cassadines. So prepare yourself."

Horrified by the potential answers shared with her youngest, Alexis gripped the table. "Oh my God. What did he tell her?"

-"He was keeping it light. At least last night when I was around. I'm not sure what Gothic nightmares he shared the night before, though."

-"Shit."

Sam put a hand on her mother's arm. "Mom, I'm sure it's fine. You know Molly. If he had spooked her it would have been all over her face last night. He was nice and ambiguous when we asked questions about you."

Alexis looked even more stricken. "What did you ask about me?"

-"Just what you were like as a kid. He said you looked a lot like Molly, which I believe. At one point he called you 'Stefan's shadow.' You were quiet, polite, obedient. The usual good stuff. Enough detail to answer the question but not enough to share anything truly insightful."

Alexis let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "OK. So what's he like?"

-"Victor? Do you not remember him?"

-"I haven't seen him in decades and even when I saw him as a kid, it was infrequent. I remember he had a sparkle to him—a lot of charm. He smiled a lot."

-"He *is* very charming. And *very* well-mannered. Honestly, I find it hard to believe that he's one of 'those' Cassadines."

Alexis smirked. "You try to freeze the world once and no one let's you hear the end of it. So how long as he been shacking up with Nikolas?"

-"I think he's been around a while. Nikolas said he was pretty wary of him when he first arrived, but he's been really—as Nikolas put it—'delightful.' He was very nice to me. Offered help if we needed it."

She perked up at that. "What kind of help?"

-"Calm down. He wasn't specific. I think he was just being kind." Sam smiled to herself.

-"What?"

-"Nothing. It's just that we had a similar conversation with Victor last night only YOU were the topic."

-"What did he ask about me?"

-"Just things like what you were like. He said he was going to call you to set up lunch or something."

-"Great," Alexis murmured under her breath. "So on top of everything else now I've got Cassadines to deal with." She looked at her daughter's grim face and took a conciliatory tone. "Sweetheart, that wasn't a dig. You are not something I ever have to 'deal with.' You're my baby and my job is to help you when you need it."

-"I know. I'm just frustrated."

-"I know. So your Dad's coming over in about an hour and I told him we'd discuss strategy, ways we can work together. But before he comes over, I just want to make one thing clear about Julian."

-"Sure."

-"Your father can be subpoenaed. So when you make a choice to tell him something, know that he'll have to repeat it on the stand. Even if he tells you he'll lie for you, I won't let him."

-"Do you really think they'll call him?"

-"Sam, if this goes to trial they will ABSOLUTELY call him. An opportunity to get your father under oath? Don't think that Anna or Scott won't pass that up."

Sam let out a huge sigh and pantomimed banging her head on the table. "It's just such a mess."

-"Yup. But we've dealt with messier. Well, at least from a legal standpoint." Alexis put her hand over Sam's. "How are you doing?"

-"I'm ok."

-"I meant your heart. How is your heart doing?"

-"It's so…surreal. I mean I spend a good part of every day wondering how Silas and I can fix our relationship, you know? And then I remember there's nothing to fix. He's gone." The tears started to fall. "It's all so overwhelming. I alternate between being sad and then being angry. Angry that he's dead and angry that someone is trying to pin it on me."

-"Well, we can't do anything about the first part, but we can about the rest. We'll find who did this, Sam."


	15. Chapter 15

Julian showed up providing the women in his life with burgers from Kelly's. The trio organized themselves around the table and started outlining the facts. Alexis quickly identified potential problem areas in Sam's case: the alibi, the gun and Crichton Clark. While Julian was familiar with the first two, the third was a complete unknown to him.

-"What about Crichton Clark?" Julian asked.

-"I went there a couple of times on a case," his daughter responded.

-"What was the case?"

Sam paused for a minute. "The first time I went, the case was Nina. Silas and I tried to see her. But then we found out she was moved. And then that she was dead."

-"So what was the second time?"

Sam hedged. "Julian, this case is still open. I really shouldn't share any details."

Her father raised an eyebrow. "Sam…"

-"Suffice it to say that I was working on a case for Patrick."

-"OK. So what led you to Crichton Clark?"

-"Julian," Alexis interceded. "I think that's really all we can say now."

He gave her a wry smile. "But *you* know."

-"Yes."

He paused looking for the best approach that didn't involve losing his temper, finally responding in the most even tone he could manage. "How is this going to work? I want to help you."

-"Dad, I know you want to help me. Look, can we just focus on the gun and alibi for now? I mean we don't even know if Crichton Clark is going to be a thing."

-"So why don't we go there and find out? Wouldn't it be better to know definitively if we need to worry about it?"

Alexis stepped in again. "No."

-"Why not?" Julian challenged her.

-"Because if the police haven't gotten to it yet, they may not consider it important. But if reputed crime boss Julian Jerome—father of the chief suspect—ends up harassing some people at Crichton Clinic…well, it may end up on their radar."

Julian bristled—less at the logic of Alexis's argument and more at feeling excluded. "Alexis, I think I know how to handle the cops."

Alexis gave Julian her brightest smile. "Because you have well-paid lawyers who tell you what to do. And you listen to them."

He sighed. "OK, so what can I focus on?"

Sam piped in, "Well, I was going to interview people at Silas's apartment building. Maybe you can help me with that."

Alexis sharply asked, "What?"

-"Mom, we need to know what his neighbors saw."

-"Yes. We do. But we don't need the chief suspect running around questioning the neighbors with her mobster father." She turned to Julian. "No offense."

-"Why would I be offended?" Julian turned to address Sam. "So 'Chief Suspect' it seems like your mother is going to limit what you and 'mobster father' are allowed to do. We could spend all afternoon making suggestions and letting her shoot us down or we could just let her tell us what she already has in mind."

Sam smiled slightly. "You're right, Dad. So…Mom. What can we do?"

-"Tell us, Alexis. You're in the driver's seat."

-"If she's in the driver's seat, I'm going to the chair," Sam mumbled.

-"I'm not really comfortable being the 'driver' here, Julian." Alexis countered, "What about that person in football? Is it the quarterback?" Julian nodded to let her know she was right. "Great. The quarterback. That's a safer analogy. That's how you should think of me."

-"OK, Dan Marino," Sam snarked as her father gave her a smirk of approval. "What are our assignments?"

Alexis was a bit flustered by the easy alliance forming between Sam and Julian, leaving her the odd woman out. She quickly shook it off. "I need you two to validate Sam's alibi. We still have some avenues there, right Julian?"

Julian nodded. "Yes."

-"OK. I need you two confirming where she was instead of working on where she wasn't. If you find someone that confirms that alibi, it would help ideally if I could question them. But if not…Sam you should leave it to your father."

Sam let out a groan. "Mom, I'm a PI. This is my job."

-"I know. I just want to avoid any scenario that could potentially call a legitimate alibi into question. If we find an alibi that places you at the lake house and it sticks? Then this is all over."

Julian jumped in. "Yup. We got it." He gave Sam a look. "What else can we do, Alexis?"

She knew she should be happy with this level of cooperation, but Alexis was suspicious. Julian's shift from resistant to eager was a little too sudden. "The only other thing is the gun. I know we can't trace it, but let's see if we can figure out who may have had the combination to the safe or if someone could have cracked it. Sam, can you follow up there?"

-"Sure," Sam nodded.

-"OK. Then I'll take the building. I'm going to see if I can finagle some information indirectly first. Julian, do you mind if I talk to Kiki?"

-"Nope. Go for it."

-"Great. So we'll start with these." Alexis paused and looked from her daughter to Julian. "And let's be clear. We're not in a position of power right now. We want to clear Sam as quickly as possible. That means getting evidence and having that evidence stand up in court. If you are in a situation and you feel even a one-percent chance it's a bad idea to proceed yourself, call me."

Sam was indignant at what she saw was her mother's condescending tone. "Mom, I'm not a moron."

Julian leapt to Alexis's defense. "I don't think that's what your mother is saying, Sam." He looked directly at his daughter. "She's just doing what's best. Why don't we go to the lake house and get started?"

Sam picked up on his quiet signal. It seemed like Julian had a plan of his own. And as much as she didn't like to get between her parents, she needed more latitude than her mother was giving her. Sometimes a father with a flexible view of ethical standards had its benefits.

-"OK. So Molly will be home soon. Why don't we—"

-"Wait, Mom. Before we break, we still haven't covered the biggest part."

Alexis looked at her. "What's that?"

-"Finding out who did this? I mean if we find the real killer, I'm cleared. That is true, right? The legal system hasn't changed in the time since I've been arrested."

Alexis avoided looking at Julian. "That's step two. I want to run through possible ways to eliminate you from contention first. If we uncover the real killer without clearing you, you can still be a suspect. There will always be a reasonable doubt, especially if we're the ones who find the evidence."

-"So we're not supposed to do anything?" Sam argued.

-"No, we do this methodically. We start with clearing you. Once that's done we have a lot more leeway to investigate."

Julian concurred. "I think we do this your Mom's way, Sam. Personally, I want you free first, and whoever is framing you to pay second. Besides, if you're cleared, that gives me more options for dealing—"

-"Enough, Julian." Alexis cut him off. She glared at him. "We do this legally, or you can go home now."

He sat up and glared right back. He started to say something but took a deep breath instead, relaxing back into the seat. Julian turned to his daughter, "Why don't we go?"

-"Sure." Sam was equally eager to get started and to escape the tension. "Mom, are you OK with Danny?"

-"Yes. And Molly will be home soon, too. He's covered."

-"Great. Let me run and change quickly."

When he was sure his daughter was upstairs, Julian turned to Alexis. "Let's get one thing clear. I will do whatever it takes to keep my daughter out of jail, Alexis. And right now that means following your lead. But punishing the people who hurt my family? You don't get a say in how I do that. Are we clear?"

-"Are you telling me you're going to commit a felony, Julian?"

-"Of course not. I have no plans to commit any crimes, Alexis."

-"Good." She stood up and gave him a cold smile, hoping his pledge not to lie to her was still intact. "Then I'll speak to you later."

* * *

><p>She grabbed coffee on the corner, not quite ready to go back to the penthouse. Molly had another 45 minutes or so before her mother would worry she was late, and she needed time to prepare herself for the return home.<p>

Except it wasn't really "home." It was in the sense that everyone she truly loved was in one place. But it was temporary. She felt like a refugee waiting for permanent placement in a new unfamiliar place where she was expected to start over. Molly recognized that she was in a far better position than 99.9% of the world that could truly claim that title. But the analogy held: she lost her home to a war in which her family had not participated—not her mother, not her, not her sister and certainly not her father. They were collateral damage in the life of a man who showed up one day and appeared to be their savior. But salvation came at a heavy price, and it was unfair that they had to bear the cost.

Molly spent a good portion of the past two days considering if she could deal with Julian. She still didn't believe his lies about her father yet Molly would do anything to save Sam from jail—even if it meant using Uncle Sonny or Julian. But she would much prefer help from Uncle Sonny.

Julian. Ugh. He had a connection with her mother and it had a permanence to it that grated her. He was a murderer and he framed her father, but he loved her mother and she reciprocated. Even Molly could see that.

Her real fear at returning home was that she'd find out why everyone hated her father. Her mother could be irrational at times, but she was usually fair. And the decision to choose Julian over her father—in spite of all that Julian was—left Molly with questions about Ric. No one liked Ric—well, no one but Liz. There were secrets about her Dad. Even though she valued truth, she was happy they were buried. Molly wasn't ready to reconcile the loss of her father with who he really was. At least not yet: it was still too raw.

Last night she stayed up late with Nikolas and talked through her troubles with her cousin. He was also strangely silent on the topic of her father, but he offered her a compromise that would provide her mother and sister with everything they needed. Nikolas would let her stay at Wyndamere, thus removing herself as an obstacle to Julian freely providing help. Nikolas would also provide her with his driver 24/7 so she could be there to take care of Danny.

In the end, Molly felt it was a plan that met everyone's needs. She just hoped her mother would, too.


	16. Chapter 16

They got out of the penthouse as quickly as they could, exiting the elevators into the parking garage. Julian was excited to have some time alone with Sam, but was nervous. Although they'd been reunited for almost a year, the relationship was still tentative as they continued to feel their way. "Wanna take my car?"

-"Um let's see, do I want to take the sporty convertible or my SUV with a carseat and goldfish crumbs everywhere. Let me think about it."

Julian laughed. "Noted, stupid question." He waited for the top to clear the front seat before opening the door. "You need something to cover your head?"

-"No. The ponytail should do it." Sam smiled, wondering how many trips ended with Alexis's hair in knots before Julian started stashing scarves in the glove compartment.

They drove out of downtown fairly quickly and hit the state road heading out towards the lake. "So." Sam turned to look directly at her father. "What are you keeping from Mom?"

-"I don't know what you're talking about. What do you mean?"

-"You were pretty quick to acquiesce to her boundaries, and they're kind of ridiculous. I expected more of a fight. And since you didn't give one, I can only assume that you have a way around them. Or that she didn't give us the right boundaries because she doesn't know what you are hiding."

Julian smiled at her assessment. His daughter may have gotten her mother's brains, but she got his street sense.

-"Let's just say I have a couple of leads I haven't shared with her yet."

-"Such as…"

Julian hesitated only for a moment before sharing that he had cameras around the lake house. He let her know the problems accessing the video from the camera most likely to have filmed her. Sam marveled at her father's nerve. If her mother knew he had placed cameras around her property, she would have killed him.

In spite of her concerns for Julian's future safety, Sam couldn't help but feel elated. They may actually be able to confirm her alibi. "OK. So we have damaged video from the most important sightline. But what about the other cameras?"

-"We'll get to them but they're not a priority right now. They wouldn't have captured you."

-"True, but they may have captured someone else."

-"Someone who may have seen you?"

-"Right. Or who may have been watching us…other than you of course."

Julian smiled. "OK. We're triaging the videos because the team isn't very big, but we can line those up next."

-"We don't have to wait," Sam said as she smiled. "I know a guy."

* * *

><p>Sam considered her father as she stood on line at the coffee shop. He was on the phone, holding a table as he arranged to transfer the tapes to Spinelli. Based upon his demeanor, it seemed the team he hired was a bit miffed at the request, but Julian was strongly leveraging his status as a valued customer. She smiled a little bit as he threw in an idle threat or two. She assumed they were idle, anyway.<p>

Julian was like a crossword puzzle to Sam, one of those impossible Saturday ones where you were excited to get a clue or two right off the bat and then had to struggle with internet searches to fill in more. You'd need to be a god to finish those—or her mother. But if you were lucky, you ended up with more squares filled than empty. That was her father: there were areas she knew immediately and things that were still completely blank.

It was odd to her that the traits she shared most with her parents weren't genetic but forged from experience. Sociologists would have considered them "nurture" had her parents actually raised her. But they hadn't. The features she inherited from her parents may include a dimple or a birthmark or the shape of her feet or a predisposition to cancer. But those physical components didn't create a parent/child bond: a shared worldview or history of experiences did. It took her years to find that commonality with Alexis. The walls each had built separately to bury the feelings or opinions that earned punishment growing up made mutual trust so hard to build. It took them years to truly connect.

Sam wanted something faster with Julian. And she felt he did, too. Julian didn't wait for events to happen, he propelled them into motion. There was a confidence and arrogance there that reflected the art of the hustle. Oddly enough, the same sleight of hand Cody McCall taught her to survive on the streets was the same skill employed by her father to remain undetected in witness protection for years. The Alexis part of her—the part that knew that love wasn't guaranteed and hearts were easily broken—told her to hold back. But the Julian part of her told her to plow forward, to risk it all on a single roll of the dice.

Sam's name was called and she brought the coffee back to their small table.

-"So I think we should head up to the gas station 20 miles up. I didn't hit that one yesterday. Our party boys and fishermen have to fuel up somewhere."

Sam seemed off in space as she murmured her response. "Sounds good."

Julian looked at his daughter, concerned. "What? Is everything OK?"

Sam smiled, "Yeah, why? Are you feeling a little nervous out here with your daughter?"

-"Actually, I'm feeling exceedingly grateful. Although I wish the circumstances were different."

-"You and I both."

-"But seriously. You had this look on your face. Your Mom gets it sometimes when she's thinking about asking me something but isn't sure if it's a good idea."

-"Ha. You're right. And that analysis, by the way, has added a second question I want to ask."

-"So ask the first one."

Sam sighed. "I don't know if I want to ask it."

-"Why?"

-"Because I really feel as though I'm starting to get you. And like you. And I don't know if I want to ask something that would change that."

Julian was very quiet. He could feel the tears well behind his eyes, and he focused on stirring his coffee while he tried to contain himself. He squeezed his eyes. "So on the one hand, I'm overwhelmed that you're starting to like me. And on the other hand…"

-"…you're worried you can blow it?"

-"Yup." He paused for a moment. "Ask it."

-"I don't know if I want to."

-"You're always going to have the question Sam. If it's the answer you want then you can move forward without worrying. If it's the answer you don't want, well, you know now. And maybe we can fix it." He paused. "Delaying the inevitable just erodes whatever foundation we have. The doubts eat through and weaken it. When it's confronted with a weight it collapses. I guess what I'm saying is this: not knowing hurts you in the long run. Believe me. I know this."

Sam nodded in sympathy. "You learned that with Mom?"

Julian smiled. "So is that the first question?"

-"Nope. It's the second. And don't you worry. We'll get to that one."

Julian laughed. "I'm sure we will." He took a sip of his coffee. "OK. So what do you want to ask?"

-"I don't want to talk about this here."

* * *

><p>There was silence as they walked out to the car. Once they settled into their seats, Julian looked at his daughter expectantly. Sam took a deep breath and tried to ask in a normal tone of voice; she ended up choking out the question. "Danny. Why wouldn't you get tested for Danny?"<p>

Julian looked down and said nothing. He should have anticipated this was the answer she needed. But it had been ignored for so long, the silence and his shame had thrust it to the back of his subconscious.

The quiet drove Sam to speak. "I mean, you said you would and then you didn't. I thought we meant something to you." She couldn't keep the hurt out of her voice.

He looked out at the shrubs that lined the parking lot as he formulated a response. "So before we have this discussion, Sam, I need to say two things. The first is that I love you and Lucas and Danny in a way I've never felt before. It exhilarates me and it makes me vulnerable in a way I've never been." Julian tried to find the right words to explain his frame of mind. "And the second thing you need to know is this: if I could take back everything at the end of last year, I would. But I can't. So know that some of this is in the context of last year."

Sam looked at him skeptically. It sounded like he was already trying to avoid responsibility, but she was willing to listen.

-"I came to Port Charles to take over Sonny's territory. I think we all know that. And I think we also all know that since Sonny didn't know Julian Jerome existed, I started the fight." Julian paused. "And you also realize I trust you or at least I trust that this is hearsay so you can't repeat it in court."

Sam smiled tightly. "Oh, I was married to a mob hitman. I got it, Julian."

She called him Julian. This wasn't going well. "So, I got Sonny pretty hot and bothered. I knew I was poking the bear, but we were on pretty even ground. When you came to me and asked me to get tested for Danny, well I said 'yes' and I meant it." Julian looked at his daughter. "You need to know this, Sam. I would do anything for you or for Danny. You may not believe that, but you need to know that was my train of thought."

-"You're right. I don't know if I believe you. I think I do, so for the sake of argument, let's assume that's the case."

Julian stifled his disappointment. "Fair enough. After we spoke, I heard that Sonny was planning on killing me."

-"And you still went to the gallery."

-"Because I wasn't going to die, Sam. I had Carlos ready for Shawn outside. And I couldn't let you down. I wanted to be there for Danny. It was important to me." He looked at her. "Ask Ava. If you ever feel like talking to her again, that is."

Sam looked at him. "Don't stop now. I'm hooked, Julian."

-"I didn't realize Sonny knew about the bug. And when I heard that, I was pretty sure Carlos was dead. I mean, he had to assume I knew his plans so he'd need more muscle. When I realized that, my odds leaving that gallery decreased considerably. I really thought I was dead."

He looked at her. Her eyes were hard, and she nodded at him to keep going.

-"And then you brought up Danny. I'm not going to lie, Sam. He wasn't at the forefront of my mind." He struggled to find the right words. "But when you brought him up, I panicked. He's my grandson. I love him. And I know you probably don't believe this, but I do. I did then, too." His tone became less apologetic and more defensive. "Even if I went to Silas—it was just a test Sam. There was no guarantee it would work…And I couldn't trust Sonny to understand that." Julian looked at her unsure if he was going to get a reprieve or be condemned. "I wasn't lying when I said he needed me to live. Danny did. Danny *does*"

Sam had tears in her eyes. "Sam, if you told me tomorrow that I could bank marrow for my grandson, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'd do it quietly mind you, but I'd never risk Danny's life for mine." He was quiet before he continued. "But I wasn't going to risk Sonny's understanding of science to keep me alive either."

-"Julian. Do you know how much this has hurt me?"

-"I know. If I could take it back…if I were a postman who turned out to be your father, I would have taken every test and done everything possible. But the die was cast before I came back, Sam. I played the best hand I thought I had for Danny. And also for me. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to live."

Sam felt the tears fall down her cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. Julian looked at her, unsure what to do. Should he hug her? Ask her if she was OK? Ignore it completely? He touched her arm tentatively, "Sam?"

-"It's nothing."

He pressed. "Does that answer your question?"

She let out a long sigh. "Yes." Sam took one of the napkins and blew her nose. There was a lot running through her head, and she needed to process it. She turned to him and said, "We should probably make our way to that gas station."

Julian was unsure what just happened, but he thought it best to follow her lead. "OK, sweetheart. Let's do it."

He started the car and had moved the gear to reverse when her hand covered his.

-"Thanks for answering the question, Dad."

-"Anytime, Sam."


	17. Chapter 17

Alexis stood in front of her very limited wardrobe to select her lunch attire. Not for the first time did she realize she really needed to go shopping. The limited options didn't provide for the casual European grace of her maroon wrap dress that burned with her house. She was having a late lunch with her uncle and wanted to impress but look like she wasn't trying to. She opted for diamond studs, hair in a low bun at the nape of her neck and a black sheath she paired with a khaki jacket that tied at the waist.

She reflected on the last 24 hours as she made her way to the MetroCourt. After Molly's return home the previous evening and her announcement that she would be relocating to Wyndemere, Alexis took Molly and Danny to Kelly's for an early dinner and quality time with her youngest. Deep down, she admired her daughter's strident defense of her father's innocence. It tapped into the part of Molly she loved best: the belief that people were good and deserved a fair chance. Alexis had never really seen that in her life—not that she remembered anyway—and seeing it in Molly was brilliant and baffling considering her parents. Alexis equated her daughter's faith in humankind to a supermodel sired by two homely adults. Molly was an aberration.

Ric was guilty of all the accusations and more that he accumulated over the years—save the one that got him killed—and there were pieces of Ric that she had loved. And it was in these moments when Molly laid out her logical reasoning with her heart on her sleeve that Alexis wished she could turn to him, and they could revisit all the whispered hopes and predictions they'd made for their daughter's future. He was the only other person who could appreciate Molly with the same pride and joy that she did, and his absence saddened Alexis.

So when they returned home, Alexis retired to bed early. She knew she would forgive Julian, but the losses she and Molly felt tonight could be laid at his feet. Like her daughter, Alexis had no desire to see Julian or overlook some inconvenient truths, and she was sure he'd return with Sam.

Today, however, was a new day. She had indulged her self-pity the night before and it was time to suck it up and move forward. Ned had asked to meet her for a drink during happy hour, so Alexis had arranged to have a late lunch with her uncle at the MetroCourt.

Sam and Julian had a lead on the two fishermen who were fixtures on the lake and had left early to find them. Alexis spent her morning interviewing Kiki. She was a good witness, without artifice and easily distracted by Danny's faces and interest in his blocks. Her answers were truthful if without insight. Kiki took things at face value, and it became clear she could give a broad outline of Nina and Silas's life together, but for the real dirt Alexis would need to look elsewhere. Based on her interview with Kiki, Alexis was going to spend the following day talking to her mother and Nina's nurse, Rosalie Martinez.

But first, she needed to change her mindset. Hours spent with Kiki Jerome was poor prep work for an afternoon dueling with a Cassadine and a Quartermaine.

* * *

><p>Victor rose from the table in the MetroCourt to greet his niece.<p>

-"Alexandra"

-"Hello, Uncle" Alexis braced herself as Victor grabbed his niece by her shoulders and kissed either side of her face.

-"Let me look at you. It's been so long." He left his hand on her shoulders as he pulled back to appraise her. "Yet you look as lovely as you did on the island trailing behind Stefan years ago."

-"Thank you for being kind enough not to mention the exact number of years." Alexis answered.

-"Of course not, my dear. I would never be so gauche." He pushed in her chair and gracefully sat in his own, unfolding his napkin with a slight flourish as he placed it on his lap. "So, Alexandra. Tell me about yourself." He smiled at her. "Perhaps we can start with your name? Davis?" he inquired lightly.

Alexis matched his easy tone. "That was Stefan's idea. His machinations required hiding our connection. So Davidovitch became Davis."

-"And you kept it, I see."

-"I liked it. It was an opportunity for reinvention."

-"And you use 'Alexis.' Somewhat disappointing, Alexandra is such a regal name, my dear." He smiled through his teasing protests.

-"It is. But things didn't work out so well for Romanovs named Alexandra," she quipped. "I'll take something a little less Tsarina-like. Keeps me out of the line of fire."

-"Of course, of course." He clapped his hands lightly, appreciating his niece's cleverness as he sipped the wine and signaled his acquiescence to the sommelier. "I must say, I was pleasantly surprised to hear from you. I know we were never close, but I always found you somewhat endearing. And look how you've turned out. Former District Attorney. Lawyer to one of the most powerful men in Port Charles."

-"Well, you're right on the DA part. But I no longer work for this city's wealthiest coffee importer."

-"Really? I find that odd. I don't mean to pry, but he _is_ the father of your child."

-"True. But considering our liaison ended decades ago, isn't it odder that I was working for him at all? I mean how many people do you see working for their former flames?"

Victor smiled. He appeared charmed by his lunch companion, and the feeling was mutual. The conversation was like champagne: bubbly, bright and intoxicating. "You make an excellent point Alexand-_Alexis_," he corrected. "So you've left the employ of Mr. Corinthos?"

-"Yes." Alexis took on a more serious tone. "I have a large case I'm working on at the moment. I couldn't afford the distraction."

-"Ahhhh, yes. Samantha."

-"You've heard."

-"I have. Your youngest is quite charming, Alexis, but is rather an open book. A trait unique to our clan." Alexis smiled in acknowledgement. "And Samantha confirmed her trouble. Although she's innocent, I take it?"

-"Of course, Uncle."

-"Cassadine innocent? Or innocent innocent?" he quipped.

Alexis gave her uncle her widest smile and giggled. "She's actually innocent."

They spent the next few minutes discussing Alexis's daughters, her practice and briefly touched upon Sam's case. Alexis didn't know her uncle well. His visits to the island were frequent, but she was never really in his orbit, and then he spent all that time in jail. She knew that as a participant in a plot to freeze the world, he was dangerous; but she didn't sense the raw malevolence roll off him like it did Helena. He was quite charming, attentive and genuinely seemed interested in her family and children. All this was a delightful diversion, but didn't really explain why he was in Port Charles.

-"So Uncle. I'd love to hear more about you. Are you here in Port Charles for good, or do you have your eye on more cosmopolitan destinations?"

-"Well I admit, I'll find my way to London and Paris eventually. But I'm enjoying Port Charles at the moment and it does have an element the European capitals lack."

-"It sounds like you're angling for a job at the tourism board. So what mysterious allure does this burgh hold for you, Uncle?"

-"Well my family, of course."

Alexis smiled and paused. "Of course."

-"You seem unconvinced."

-"No. Not at all. I guess that I forget how our family has shrunk over the years. I'm the only one of Mikkos' children left alive. I think. And then there's Nikolas and Spencer."

-"Well, it's easier for you not to notice. Other than Stefan, no one really treated you as family, did they?" Victor's eyes were full of sympathy and perhaps regret.

-"They did not." Alexis responded matter-of-factly before quietly asking her next question. "Did you know, Uncle? Did you know that I was Mikkos's daughter?"

He cocked his head to the side to contemplate her. "No. I suppose I suspected at first. But I never believed that Helena would have agreed to one of Mikkos's bast—sorry," he blushed at the slight, "—other children living in his home. It was very clever of him actually. Hiding you in plain sight."

-"It was." Alexis acknowledged with a grim smile.

Victor sensed the discomfort and smoothly changed the topic. "So while we're on the topic of family…I hope you don't mind, but I've promised to teach Molly to ride."

Alexis nearly choked on her wine. "Molly. My Molly. Molly Lansing Davis."

-"I take it this isn't her typical milieu?"

She laughed. "No. It decidedly is not. My daughter spent a good portion of her childhood ensconced in romantic fantasy. She did not, however, appreciate some of the less than modern inconveniences suffered by her heroes and heroines."

-"Really?" Victor raised an eyebrow as his eyes sparkled.

-"Let's just say if Mr. Darcy shows up, he better have an iPhone. And he better be able to text."

Victor chuckled. "Well, I'm happy to teach her. After spending so long _indoors_, I appreciate the opportunity to be outside. Indeed, come the winter months, I'll probably head to Greece."

-"It is beautiful," Alexis acknowledged.

-"I've decided that in my last decades on this earth, neither man nor weather will keep me locked away indoors." He stopped smiling, as he looked at Alexis. "I will say I was dubious as to the rehabilitative powers of incarceration. But it has served as a deterrent. I have enough money to travel or to stay wherever I please. I can enjoy my freedom. And I intend to preserve it."

She looked at him. "I didn't say anything, Uncle."

-"I know. But you're a Cassadine and by nature suspicious. I'm sure you're curious and on guard by my sudden arrival. I just want you to know, there's nothing that should concern you." He grinned at her. "I will also of course, keep all your secrets from your highly inquisitive daughter. I must say, it shocks me that Samantha is the investigator—it seems like a natural talent for Molly."

-"It is a natural talent. Well, when she wants to know the answers anyway." She tapped her fork on the table slowly as she thought. "You realize, Uncle, that while I appreciate your assurances—"

-"—you still don't trust me," he smiled widely.

-"Please don't take it personally. I find you utterly charming and I would love to do this again sometime. But you _are_ a Cassadine and you _did_ try to freeze the world." She shrugged her shoulders as she smiled.

-"Of course, Alexandra. I would expect you to remain on your guard. It is what our family taught you." He raised his glass at her, and they saluted Cassadine cynicism.

Their late lunch turned into a leisurely affair that ended as happy hour was beginning. Alexis was utterly charmed by her uncle. She knew that Victor was the least criminally strident of the Cassadine brothers, but she wasn't sure she bought his reformed act. Even if he was sincere, the life of a rich retiree was boring and the Cassadines didn't do "indolence" well.

They parted as they started, with kisses on the cheek. She promised him a dinner at Wyndemere with Molly, Sam and Danny in attendance. Alexis watched him float out of the room as he departed. She realized that the smile that had graced her face through most of lunch had not yet followed her uncle out of the room. And the smile was genuine.

-"My, my. Who was that handsome lothario?"

Alexis turned and greeted Ned with a kiss on the cheek. "That is a Cassadine. And not a normal Cassadine, Ned. One that tried to freeze the world."

Ned's adopted an impressed tone, "Well, then. I hope he left happy."

-"Me, too. _That_ is my Uncle Victor. He recently arrived in town and he's staying with Nikolas."

-"Well. That weather machine killed a distant cousin. So I already don't trust him."

-"Really? Which one?"

-"Alexandria. I must have told you about this."

-"Probably. But who can keep track of my family's body count at this point?" She smiled at Ned. "Where do you want to sit? In the open or where we won't be overheard?"

-"The latter. I have some concerns about my mother that I'd rather the town not hear."

Alexis looked at him. She was concentrating on not biting her lip or showing any of her usual tells. She gave him a smile as she urged, "Well, then. Lead on, Macduff."

They sat in a small corner table in the bar area. Happy hour was still a few minutes away, so they enjoyed some privacy. They settled with their drinks and Ned took a deep breath before he started. "So. My mother"

-"Yes" Alexis urged him on.

-"She has not left Luke. They were scamming us to win back ELQ."

She willed herself to remain impassive. Alexis was worried for Ned's safety, and the news that Tracy was back with John Richter aka Luke was not welcome.

-"So where is Luke now?"

-"Don't know. But I'm glad he's not here." He eyed her trying to decide if he should plow ahead. "He didn't come back from Miscavige right."

Alexis looked at him, "How so?"

-"He's been strangely aggressive."

-"Right, the Kiki thing."

Ned sighed. "It's more than that, Alexis. He threatened me."

She felt a tingle in her spine. "What do you mean he threatened you?"

-"Look, I know you're friends with him…"

Alexis grabbed Ned's hand, "Ned, you know that you and I…that you trump Luke. And _almost_ any other man I've ever met."

He smiled "Except for Jax." She shrugged and nodded at him. "And maybe Julian Jerome?"

-"Maybe." She shifted gears. "You still haven't answered the question. What do you mean he threatened you?"

-"He took issue with my interference. He pulled a gun on me, Alexis."

-"He WHAT?"

The sparse crowd turned to look at their table. Ned shifted to a whisper and relayed Luke's threats and his mother's reaction to Ned's version of events. Alexis looked at him, doubly glad that she had set up her visit with Victor to precede her drinks with Ned.

-"Ned, there's something I need to tell you."

-"What is it?"

Alexis twisted her face to one of concentration. "It was something my Uncle said. I need you to bear with me though. Because it's not really _evidence_, more a _feeling_."

-"OK"

-"So lunch with my Uncle. It was a 'get to know you session.' As you may be aware, my Uncle—like all the Cassadines of his generation and frankly some of mine—hates Luke Spencer."

-"Well, I take it all back. I'm switching to Team Victor right now."

-"I'm sure you are." Alexis smiled grimly, deep in thought.

-"I see your mind turning. Care to share, Alexis?"

-"It was something he said. It…," she struggled for the word. "it confused me."

-"What did he say?" Ned asked.

-"I awkwardly mentioned my friendship with Luke Spencer. It was weird. I apologized for it, because it's been so long since there were any Cassadines for whom this was news, much less an issue."

-"OK."

Alexis plowed through, just as she'd rehearsed it. "I said he was out of town, and that anyway he was really only interested in Helena if he cared about any of the Cassadines anymore."

-"So you were lying to your uncle."

She smiled, "Yes." She continued, "And he said that 'Spencer wouldn't be a concern.'"

-"What does that mean?"

-"I'm not sure. But it was what he also said—that Luke hadn't been a concern for almost a year."

-"Since when is prey not interested in its predator?" Ned was suspicious.

Thank God, thought Alexis. He was biting. "What if Luke isn't a predator anymore?"

-"Luke not care about Cassadines, Alexis? He'd need a personality transplant."

She looked at him pointedly. "Right."

-"Shit." Ned looked at her and started to slowly shake his head. "Your family, Alexis."

-"Hey!" She said with false indignation, "We don't know that this is a Cassadine thing."

Ned rolled his eyes. "So what are we thinking? Brainwashing? There were also the masks."

-"Mask? You think Luke may be someone else?"

-"It's possible."

Alexis knew she needed to tread very carefully. "OK. Let's look at the evidence. At the very least, Luke's personality is not very Luke-like. The Cassadine most in his sights isn't worried."

-"Because he's controlling Luke somehow."

-"Ned. You need to be careful."

-"Why?"

-"Well, for starters you just told me he pulled a gun on you." She grabbed both of his hands in hers. "Why didn't he actually kill you?"

-"My mother came in the room."

-"Do you think he would have?"

-"He was pretty specific about making it look like a suicide."

Alexis shuddered. Her reaction was not rehearsed nor was it welcome. She had hoped to use her conversation with her uncle to start planting the seed that the Luke they all knew was an imposter. But confronted with the reality that he had almost killed Ned, Alexis was ready to shift her happy hour goals.

-"Ned. You have to stop antagonizing him. Stop asking questions."

He sat up at looked at her hard. "Why?"

-"The worst case scenario is that he's a Cassadine agent. He already feels threatened by you, Ned. You can't rely on some latent humanity to rise and stop him from killing you. Not when we don't know if it exists."

-"I'm not just going to let him get away with stealing ELQ. I mean, Alexis…he's married to my mother. She's in danger."

Alexis and Ned spent the next hour considering the best approach to freeing Tracy from Luke safely. Alexis was petrified; she was convinced that John Richter meant to kill Ned and would have if Tracy hadn't entered the room when she did. The fact that Ned was still breathing meant that for some reason he had fallen off "Luke's" radar. Her plan—which had been to set Ned on a course to uncover the real Luke Spencer at Miscavige—had quickly turned to keeping Ned alive. They left in agreement that their line of inquiry should start with _when_ Luke's personality changed so drastically. This would require Ned talking to "friendlies" and keep him off Richter's radar long enough for her to come up with a plan B.

When Alexis was convinced that Ned's self-preservation was guiding his decisions, she kissed him goodnight. He was late for a movie with Olivia, but she made him promise to check in with her tomorrow. As he left, Alexis practically fell into the chair. She finished her martini and ordered another, determined not to leave until the shaking that had taken over her body stopped or until she forgot why it was there.

* * *

><p>Alexis took a cab home and after struggling to work the key for what seemed like an hour the door opened, and Sam greeted her.<p>

-"Hey, you're still up?" Alexis swayed gently.

-"It's only 8:30." Sam stifled a laugh. "Mom, are you drunk?"

Alexis sighed as she threw her keys on the desk. "Yup. Going to bed."

-"How was lunch with Uncle Victor?"

-"Lovely. He's charming."

She heard a man's voice question her. "Were you at the MetroCourt this whole time?"

Alexis turned and saw Julian. Well, she saw two Julians if she was being honest. "Yup. And I thought I told you this before, but I'm going to bed."

Sam made a move to help her mother upstairs, but was interrupted by Julian who took Alexis by the arm. "I got this."

Alexis pulled hard to wrench herself out of Julian's grasp and tumbled into the wall. "No. I can do it myself."

Julian looked at her gently, "Sweetheart, I think you need help."

-"Fine. Sam can help me." She reached for Sam's hand. "OK? You waited for me, you saw me. Time for you to go home, Julian. Goodnight."

He sighed as he watched her climb the stairs. "Goodnight, Alexis."


	18. Chapter 18

Alexis stood at the podium and addressed her fellow citizens. As the attorney for the defense started her closing argument, she squinted to keep the spotlight's glare out of her face. Alexis couldn't believe she lost the motion to have the press banned from the courtroom, and Scotty smirked at her when she put her hand up so she could better see the jury. Her daughter's twelve peers looked back at her with faces ranging from pity to outright scorn. She was a bit shocked that she recognized them, and her mouth went dry as she started to put faces to names: Luis Alcazar, Ric Lansing, Kiefer Bauer, Katherine Bell, Luke Spencer…and Stefan? Alexis's head started to throb and she raised her hand to her temple to both soften the pain and try and find logic for the dozen assembled in front of her. Why didn't she use any peremptory challenges during voir dire? How could she allow this group on the jury? As she stood in silence, she felt her client tugging her arm. "Mom, mom?"

When Sam finally roused Alexis, her mother opened her eyes shocked, sitting up quickly before immediately regretting the movement. "Where am I?"

-"You're in the penthouse, Mom."

Alexis briefly looked around the room before squeezing her eyes shut. "Are you sure I'm not on the sun? Can you close those blinds, sweetie?"

-"This is not surprising," Sam deadpanned.

-"What?"

-"The hangover. That's why I brought you this." Sam proffered the glass in her hand.

-"What is it?" Alexis opened one eye to glance suspiciously at the glass.

-"Tabasco."

Alexis felt her stomach's content rise in her throat. She kicked off the covers and flew by a surprised Sam to the bathroom where she loudly divested herself of the previous evening's martinis. And appetizers.

Sam stood in the doorframe sheepishly. "Sorry. I was kidding. It's actually water."

Alexis ignored her daughter and continued to retch. After emptying the contents of her stomach, she sat back. She rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes. "That's OK, sweetie. In the long run you've probably done me a favor."

-"So. What _were_ you planning to do today?"

-"I'm still going to do it. I just need another hour or so of sleep. What time is it?"

-"It's 10."

-"Ugh. Why did I sleep so long?"

-"Do you want me to answer that or just wait until it comes to you?" Sam snarked at her mother.

-"Ha ha." Her response matched her daughter's tone.

-"Come on. Let's get you back in bed."

* * *

><p>Sam returned to the main floor to find her father plating the greasy breakfast he'd brought over from Kelly's. "Yeah, Dad. She's not going to be eating that any time soon."<p>

-"You sure?"

-"Yup. Her stomach may have won the battle last night, but it lost the war this morning."

-"Ahh." Julian looked at the plate in front of him, willfully ignoring the mental picture Sam's description painted. "Shame to let it go to waste. You want some?"

-"Sure." Sam retrieved two forks from the kitchen and she and Julian proceeded to pick over her mother's breakfast.

-"So," Sam looked coyly at her father. "This was a pretty considerate gesture. Something you'd expect more from a boyfriend than an ex."

Julian looked blankly at his daughter. "Yup."

Sam smiled. "Are you two back together?"

-"I think those are questions for your mother Sam."

-"Why? Because you're respecting her privacy or because you don't know the answer."

Julian's smirk was his sole response.

Sam pressed with a wide-eyed innocence she only exhibited for her most gullible marks. "I mean, I'm just a daughter concerned for her father. I want to make sure the woman he loves—you do love her right?—isn't wasting his time by not returning his affections."

-"Ha!" Julian laughed. "Now you're pulling the daughter card, huh?"

-"Yes, Daddy," Sam batted her eyelashes at her father.

-"It would be way easier if you just asked for a pony."

Sam started laughing. "C'mon. Mom's not that hard to read."

-"Things between your mother and I are…complicated."

-"Really, Julian? Wow. Never would have guessed that. I mean, she only came home wasted last night and has spent the better part of the morning worshipping at the altar of the porcelain gods."

-"She's under a lot of stress. It's natural for her to blow off a little steam. She's concerned about you."

-"Julian. Let me tell you a little something about my mother. She doesn't get drunk…well, OK. There was that time at karaoke where she was doing shots. But generally she's tipsy. That? Upstairs? That is not my mother."

-"You have to admit, Sam, between her house, your trial…she's probably a little stressed."

-"Yeah. OK. So the last time my mother defended me against a murder charge—"

-"—music to every father's ears," he interrupted.

She stared at him. "You really want to compare jackets right now?"

-"No, sorry. Go on. You were talking about the last time you were accused of murder."

-"Right. So my mother had cancer, was defending me, was engaged in a vicious custody battle with her ex—who was also prosecuting me by the way—and she didn't drink."

-"Not at all?"

-"No. OK, so she did get high, but that was more a chemo thing. The point is: my mother loves to be in control. She needs it. She doesn't give it up easily if at all. Unless…" Sam trailed off.

-"Unless what."

-"Unless she doesn't know what the hell she's doing and she's too afraid to make a move. Now, I'm pretty clear on the 'knowns': she needs to defend me. She seems to be—well not 'OK' with the Molly situation—understanding of it. We've figured out a way to make the living situation work and her strategy for me is decided. The only unknown right now is her love life." Sam's eyes bored into Julian.

-"So this is my fault."

-"Yup." Sam waited him to say something, but did not get a response. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself."

-"I'm clear on what I want. Your mom obviously needs to figure it out."

-"Ugh. Why are men so frustrating? No wonder you make her nuts. Fine, you won't tell me what's up with her, than tell me what's up with you. What is it you want?"

-"I love your mother so obviously I want her."

Sam's face spread into a satisfied smile. "I knew it."

* * *

><p>Alexis woke up at 1 and showered. By the time she considered herself presentable it was 2 pm. She went to the computer to try and salvage something of the day. Clearly she was not in peak mental condition, so a conversation with Ava was out. Plus, a visit to Ava meant a chance to run into Ava's brotherroommate, and Alexis wasn't sure she'd be able to handle it. That left Rosalie, but Alexis didn't know where she was. Normally, she'd put Sam on the search, but she wanted the suspect as far removed from potential witnesses as possible, so she called her second-string investigator to get contact information for Rosalie.

Once the call was placed, it was only 2:15. Even if she got the info it would be too late to arrange an interview. The lack of productivity made her feel guilty, and she looked around the room for something to do. Her eyes focused on her closet: it needed filling. Alexis then laughed at the realization that it also wasn't her closet. If she was too groggy to face Ava she was definitely too groggy to start looking for real estate. It looked like Wyndhams was going to win out.

Her stomach growled as she descended the stairs and she went straight to the kitchen to make some toast. She had put the bread in the toaster when the sound behind her made her jump.

She turned to find Julian behind her. "What are you doing here?" Her question was sharper than she intended: the shock left her no time to soften her annoyance at his presence.

-"You missed me as you flew by the couch. Sam needed to run out, so she asked me if I could stay in case Danny needed anything."

-"What do you mean 'stay'?"

-"I've been here all morning."

-"I see." The toaster provided her with a welcome exit from the conversation. She didn't really want to know why he'd been there all morning. OK, she _did_ but she didn't want to actually have to talk about it. She ignored him as she buttered her toast and put the kettle on for tea.

-"So you're not going to talk to me?"

-"Sorry. I was just making something to eat. I'm a little hungry."

-"I'm sure you are." His smile told her that Sam had spilled the events of the morning.

This time she meant for him to hear that she was exasperated. "What to you want, Julian?"

-"I want a lot of things, Alexis."

She dismissed him. "I mean in the kitchen. Why are you standing in the kitchen?"

-"I want to make sure you're OK." He asked softly, "Are you?"

-"I'm fine now. Yes."

-"Fine, huh?"

-"Yup." Alexis took a bite of her toast. She hoped the chewing would drive him away from the door so she could escape the confines of what was becoming a very claustrophobic kitchen.

-"OK." He took a deep sigh and repeated the OK to settle himself. "Look. Alexis. It's clear that whatever happened the other night was an aberration. But I need some help here." Julian closed the space between them. "Help me out. I want to give you what you need, but you have to tell me what it is."

Alexis's body was so rigid with tension she didn't even feel Sam's granite countertops dig into her lower back. Her eyes looked at the toast in her hands. "I don't know."

-"Is it that I'm here? Do you want me gone? You need to give me some direction here, Alexis. 'I don't know' doesn't fix this."

-"Maybe that's my problem. I don't know if I want to fix this."

Julian stopped in his tracks. "What does that mean?"

-"I don't know, Julian. I haven't had time to think about it. I've been too busy cleaning up the messes you've left everywhere to think about 'us.'"

-"Alexis, I don't need you to clean up my messes."

-"Really, Julian? I shouldn't do anything. Is that it?"

-"I can fix this," he asserted passionately.

She looked at him, her nostrils flaring. "Do you see these clothes, Julian?"

-"Yes."

-"Well, after I finish my toast, I'm going to buy more of them. Because I don't have any. I don't have clothes. I don't have a house."

-"Alexis—"

Her voice rose as she felt every burden she'd kept inside escape from her lungs. "But I don't need a house, Julian. I only need an apartment. One bedroom. Because my daughter won't live with me because I allow you to stay around. The man who killed her father."

Julian looked at her. On the one hand, he was relieved. She was getting out all the things he feared she felt. He knew they were there, just under the surface waiting for the chance to break through. On the other hand, he was unsure of his ultimate place. Julian understood his role was to take it, but until he knew how the monologue was ending, he didn't know how to rebuild. Unsure if she was finished, he tentatively reached out to her shoulder.

-"Don't touch me, Julian."

At least he had his answer. "Sweetheart."

-"What? Sweetheart what? Ric's dead. Luke's suffering. I can't even free him, Julian. He's my friend. Do you know that? Do you know how he saved me? And now Ned…"

Julian's head snapped to attention. "What about Ned?"

-"Your boss wants ELQ, Julian. Did you think Ned would let him have it?"

-"Ned isn't running ELQ."

-"So what? That means he doesn't care. Do you know your boss pulled a gun on him, Julian? Do you know he almost killed him? And he tells me this. And I have to pretend I don't know anything…"

If Alexis's rambling, angry monologue wasn't enough of an indicator of her frustration, the plate and toast she hurled across the room and smashed against the wall certainly punctuated her feelings. Julian turned to say something when Danny's cries could be heard through the baby monitor.

-"I'll get him," Julian whispered as he left the kitchen.

Alexis looked at what used to be the plate on the floor, shards everywhere. She sank to her knees and crawled to pick up the pieces as her tears cascaded down her cheeks. The next thing she heard was the TV on and a kid's show blaring. Julian re-entered the kitchen and sank to the floor to help her clean up. He said nothing as he took a sponge to wipe off the greasy stain on the wall from where the toast landed butter-side up.

The silence was broken by her whisper, "I don't know."

He sat up and looked at her, as he lightly grabbed her foot—hoping the connection would give her the energy to finish her thought.

Alexis kept her head down as her tears hit the floor. "The only peace I have is when I'm with you. When I'm in your arms." He reached up to her and she stopped his hand. "But the reason I need peace is all the chaos you've brought, Julian. I know you want me to sort us out—" She lifted her head to look at him. "—but how can I do that when there are literally life and death decisions on the line? Sam's freedom, Luke's life…maybe even Ned's life. What to do about Ric. They need my full attention."

Julian grabbed her hand. "I know this is my fault."

-"Well, you have to let me work through it. When I can, Julian. But I can't now and you need to stop trying to make me."

-"I'm not trying to make you do anything. I'm here because I love Sam. And I love you. I wasn't kidding about the other night, Alexis. I love you."

-"Well I love a mobster who has destroyed the lives of those I love and you love a woman who can't decide in 48 hours how she feels about that." Alexis lifted her head and looked at him. "I think you're getting the better end of the deal."

Julian helped her clean the kitchen and she turned to him, resting her hands on his chest. She stared at his collarbone as she asked, "I'm meeting Diane for some shopping. Can you watch Danny?"

He responded by kissing her forehead. She pulled away, grabbed her purse and walked out the door.


	19. Chapter 19

The paper was open in her lap as Molly and Nikolas walked into Kelly's. Alexis rose to kiss her breakfast dates and returned to her seat.

-"You look great, Molls. Are you ready for the test today?"

-"God, yeah. I stayed up most of last night studying for it. Normally I hate Friday tests, but this one I just want over with. I don't want to have to think about anything this weekend."

Alexis smiled at her daughter. "I was thinking of maybe going out and catching a movie. Maybe start visiting some open houses. Any interest?"

-"Well, maybe. If it rains."

She tried to hide her disappointment. "Ahhh. You have big plans then. What are they?"

Molly's eyes lit up, "Uncle Victor is going to teach me to ride!"

Nikolas shrugged at Alexis as she tried to hold back her laughter. "Seriously, Molls. Where is this coming from? I didn't know you wanted to ride. I would have taught you."

-"I don't know. Uncle Victor was talking about how he used to ride along the beach in Greece, and just how he described it. Just to be free with the wind in your face. It sounds so exhilarating."

-"OK then. Will you promise me we can go out riding some time when you feel ready?"

Molly smiled. "Sure." She looked at her watch. "Ugh. Gotta run if I'm going to make class. If you see TJ will you tell him I'll stop by after school?" She paused for a moment. "Do you need me today?"

-"Well, I always need you. But no. I don't need you to sit for Danny or anything." Alexis added quietly. "You're always welcome whenever you want, sweetheart."

-"I know, Mom." Molly bent to kiss her mother on the cheek before running out the door.

Alexis sighed as Nikolas looked at her. "So how are you, Aunt?"

-"As well as could be expected I guess. Sam's still out of jail, but I'm not sure how long it will be before they arrest her."

-"Do you really think they will?"

-"They have a lot of circumstantial evidence. We're trying to find anything to disprove their theory. It shouldn't be this hard...their case is a house of cards at the moment. I just need to find a good, stiff wind to crush it."

Nikolas nodded. "Well if you need anything…money, detectives. Anything Alexis, OK?"

She nodded and squeezed his arm, "What would I do without the one good Cassadine?"

Nikolas laughed, "Well, there's more than one of us."

-"Really?"

-"Well, Spencer's not doomed yet. Although Alfred may disagree. There's also *you,* Aunt. You're one of the good ones."

-"Only if you don't look at that karma ledger too closely," Alexis muttered.

-"Your daughters. Don't forget them. There's also…"

-"Don't say it." Alexis made a face at her nephew. "Really, Nikolas. Victor?"

-"I mean, he's been very nice and quite helpful."

-"A Cassadine helpful? That should be your first clue. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts, Nikolas. Especially when those Greeks are actually Russian."

Nikolas laughed. "Look, I know that our family doesn't have the greatest track record."

-"Nikolas. He tried to Freeze. The. World."

-"Well, you trust him with Molly."

-"I trust a charming uncle to teach my daughter how to ride a horse. My daughter, who as the female child of a bastard, has no birthright." She looked at Nikolas warily. "Although now that you say it, I'm being insane. How can I let him around—"

-"Alexis, Alexis," Nikolas recognized his aunt was about to start spinning and tried to nip it in the bud. "She's fine. He's as dangerous a Cassadine as I am. Really. I trust him with Spencer."

Alexis looked at his pleading eyes, but didn't respond. Nikolas continued to build his case. "I mean you had lunch with him. What did you think?"

-"I thought he was very charming."

-"Aaaannddd?"

-"Ok. Ok. He was delightful. A witty conversationalist and a seductive personality. He was thoughtful and considerate."

Nikolas smiled triumphantly. "See?"

-"That proves my point, Nikolas. We're Cassadines. That's how we roll. We're not the Jerome or Corinthos clan—we're not going to shoot up a room full of people and hope we hit the right the target. We plot. And we plan. And we entice. And THEN we strike. It's very methodical."

Her nephew let out a sigh. "Well, then I guess you won't be coming to dinner tomorrow night."

-"Did we have dinner plans?"

-"Victor wanted to get the family together. He said you agreed. I wanted to do it before I leave town next week."

-"Wait. You're leaving town? Where are you going and for how long?"

-"I'm off to Buenos Aires and Santiago for a week. Leaving on Tuesday."

Alexis felt herself get a little excited. "Oh, thank God."

Nikolas gave his aunt a confused look. "Has my company been that onerous?"

She protested through giggles. "No, no! Your company could never be anything but lovely…but if you're not at your home, Molly has to come home to ours...such as it is."

-"You miss her."

-"Yes," Alexis whined. "I hate having her gone. Even having a sullen, adolescent monster stomping around is better having her away. I miss my baby." The thought of Molly's return brought a broad smile to Alexis's face. "I know I told her she had a choice. And I know she hates Julian. But we can work it out. I know we can."

-"Well I salute your optimism. This isn't really a trait I get to see from you frequently, Aunt. It's a little—

-"Refreshing?"

-"I was going to say 'unnerving.' But that's just like 'refreshing'," he teased. Nikolas then rose from his seat. "OK. I have to go. Are you coming to dinner tomorrow night? With Sam and Danny?"

Alexis nodded. "We're in. What could be more relaxing than a dinner at Wyndemere in the bosom of my beloved family?"

-"And one more thing. I don't know what your status is right now with Julian, but—"

-"I'm not inviting him Nikolas. You don't have to worry."

Her nephew smiled. "See you tomorrow night."

* * *

><p>Alexis stood down the hall from the Jerome residence and steeled herself. She was pretty sure Julian was out attending to "gallery business" this morning, but his sister was a handful on her own. She raised an eyebrow when the guard asked to frisk her, and she shrugged her shoulders and let him. Fairly certain the next hour would be a struggle, she was reluctant to expend any energy arguing with the henchman.<p>

Upon entering the apartment under escort, Alexis found Ava reclined on the sofa. She struggled to lift her upper body to greet Alexis, offering up a half-hearted "Welcome, counselor". She then turned off the TV just as a character let out a string of curses about a pig farmer.

-"Wow. That was a creative use of language." Alexis joked. Ava didn't respond. There was a prolonged silence and Alexis shuffled nervously as Ava sized her up. The last time the two spoke Alexis had been a flirtation of Julian's. Now that she was whatever she was to the older Jerome, his little sister took her time studying her. Alexis's efforts to look away only made her more uncomfortable. Did Ava know what happened on that couch? *Behind* that couch? Memories started to flood Alexis, and in an effort to move the interview forward she took the brown bag in her hand and thrust it forward: "Here. I brought this for you."

Ava's face softened but the skepticism was still there. "For me? What is it?"

-"Julian mentioned a few times that he had to stop on his way home and get you chocolate. So I brought these brownies from Kelly's. They are life-changing." Alexis thrust the bag closer to Ava. "Here."

A smile curled across Ava's face. "Thank you, Alexis. That's incredibly considerate." She started to open the bad and then paused suddenly, "Do you know who happened to make these brownies?"

-"Shawn. If we're lucky."

Ava started to close the bag. "I don't know that this is such a good idea."

Alexis looked puzzled and then realized, "Oh. Don't worry. He's not about to poison me. I mean he probably hates me a little bit, but he wouldn't kill me via brownie. He *would* refuse to sell them to me, though. Which is why I only buy them when he's not there." She smiled. "Those are safe. If you want, I can be your taste tester."

The mom-to-be sat on the couch confused before it dawned on her. "Ahhh. I forgot about you and Mr. Butler. No, I trust these aren't poisoned." She put the bag aside. "That was very thoughtful. Please, sit down."

Alexis moved to the chair across from the couch. "Can I get you anything?"

-"I think that's supposed to be my line. I am the host, after all."

-"Of course. I just-," Alexis trailed off searching for a tactful way to frame her next thought. She gave up. "I'm sorry. You just look miserable. Are you feeling OK?"

Ava's veil of suspicion lifted. "I am miserable. I don't know what it is about this pregnancy. There's all this heartburn and the nausea's back. It's so different than it was with Kiki."

-"Plus the stress with Sonny." Alexis offered her comment in solidarity but Ava shot her a look. "That wasn't judgment. If anything I guess its sympathy. I hid from Sonny when I was pregnant with his child, too."

-"I'm still hoping it's Morgan's." Ava flushed with embarrassment and looked away from Alexis.

-"Regardless, he's going to view that child as his property, whether it's his kid or his grandkid."

Ava closed her eyes. "Do you mind if we don't talk about Sonny? It's giving me a headache." She opened her eyes and they were hard again. "You're also his lawyer, so I'm not sure I want to share any of my thoughts about your client with him."

-"Understood. Sonny is stressful, even if you're not on his bad side. But not to worry. I'm not his lawyer anymore."

-"You're not?"

Alexis shook her head. "Nope. My only client is my daughter."

Ava smiled slightly. "Right. The reason you're here. You know, Alexis, if you are trying to get me to confess to this crime like you tried to get me to confess to Nina—"

-"I'm not. I know you didn't kill them."

-"Alright." Ava sat up straighter.

-"But I know Sam didn't either. I'm trying to learn what I can about Nina and Silas to see if it will point me in the direction of the killer. You are the one person in town most familiar with both."

-"I was most familiar with them 20 years ago, maybe. I'm afraid my contact of late has been limited. Actually, 'afraid' is the wrong word. I'm rather happy that has been the case."

Alexis started peppering her interviewee with questions and was surprised by her willingness to answer. Ava was open with what she knew about Nina's family, providing extra details as color. As the discussion turned to Nina's parents, Alexis marveled at the sympathetic tone that Ava adopted.

-"You sound almost sorry for Nina."

-"With a mother like that, who wouldn't be?"

-"Well, she could have been worse," Alexis stated matter-of-factly.

Ava's mouth was open in shock. "My, my counselor. That's quite a detached view."

-"You look surprised."

-"Well, to hear Julian tell it you are so loving and forgiving and kind. I wasn't expecting that from St. Alexis."

-"Your brother only knows St. Alexis. He wasn't around for her sinning years." Alexis paused at Ava's raised eyebrow. "OK. Maybe he was around for one night of her sinning years. The point is her mother *could* have been worse. I'm just wondering…"

-"What."

-"Was she worse? The will left Nina's money to Silas when she died. But Nina didn't die. And Silas wasn't controlling the money when she was sick. So who was?"

-"Madeleine was a bitch who poisoned her own daughter." Ava started nodding in thought. "You're thinking would she kill Nina for the money. And since she was still married, kill Silas, too, so he couldn't inherit?"

-"That's exactly what I'm thinking."

-"She would do it in a heartbeat. Believe me."

Alexis considered Ava closely. "You sound like you know Madeleine very well."

Ava was quiet for a few moments. "Let's say I knew Madeleine for a short while a long time ago. It was a very lucrative and very unpleasant time in my life, but not without some benefits. Nina doesn't matter to her. She's cold as ice, that one."

-"Then it's a good thing she's in jail."

-"Is she? I'd check," Ava quipped.

The women spent the next half hour going through every detail Ava could remember about Silas and Nina. Alexis was amazed at how Ava absorbed information from so many different sources. She knew that Silas and Nina were sleeping together again, that Nina was friends with Franco and that something was off with Nina's nurse, Rosalie. All without leaving the sofa.

-"Why do you think something's off with Rosalie?"

-"Kiki tells me things about the way she talks to Silas, what she does around the house, how she taunts my daughter. She's a total operator. Like recognizes like, Alexis."

-"I never thought of Kiki as an operator."

Ava laughed so hard, she started to cough. As the giggles subsided she responded, "Kiki an operator? Oh, Lord no. I love my daughter and I would die for her. But believe me when I tell you she inherited none of my artifice. When I said 'like recognizes like' I was talking about me." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Oh, thank you for that Alexis. I haven't laughed that hard in a while."

Alexis rolled her eyes, "Glad I could help."

-"Your instincts about people are spot on." Ava added under her breath, "Well, usually." Alexis gave her a look that let her know her aside had been heard. Ava smiled. "So what do you think of the nurse?"

She sighed. "I can't find her, Ava."

Ava nodded her head. "And I bet you won't either."

-"You're probably right." Alexis looked at her phone. "Well, it's getting late and I've got to get home. I gave Molly the afternoon off so I've got to relieve the nanny."

-"It's a shame you're leaving so soon. You know Julian should be home in about an hour." Ava flashed a knowing grin.

Alexis rose quickly. "Yes. Well, I'm sure I'll see him at some point this weekend. He's really come through for Sam." She turned and looked sincerely at Ava. "You have, too. Thank you. I know we never have been cordial exactly, so I appreciate your willingness to help my daughter."

-"It wasn't purely altruistic, Alexis. Sure, my brother loves his daughter and I love my brother. But I'm also very curious about you."

-"Why?"

-"Because my brother is head over heels, counselor. And he is prone to acts of impetuousness when it comes to you. I want to see if you're worth it."

Alexis grimaced. "And?"

-"Jury's still out, but leaning in your direction. The brownie helped."

-"Well, you gave me a gift I wasn't expecting either."

-"What gift is that?"

-"Madeleine. Or as I like to now call her: 'reasonable doubt.'"


	20. Chapter 20

It was still early when Julian put the top down and took his car for a drive around the lake. The early morning chill was dissipating, making way for its replacement—a scorching late August day. It was early enough that there were few cars on the road, and Julian enjoyed going a little too fast on some of the hills and turns he knew well. He really wanted to take the car out to some farmland and open her up on a straightaway. But that would require a few hours and he was due to check in with Alexis and Sam for another pow-wow. Alexis was excited that she had some news to report. That was a good thing, because Julian was coming up empty.

They'd had zero luck with the video and he couldn't track down any of the boaters whose presence initially offered them hope. On top of that, he'd had another Skype session with his boss. Richter had been terse, but not angry on the video call. They'd discussed a couple of potential procurement and distribution problems, but Julian had them well in hand. In fact, the entirety of their session was business logistics. He hadn't been asked to do anything additional in the war against Sonny. Julian knew he should have felt relieved: these sessions usually involved a request that if ignored would endanger his family and if carried out would pull him further from Alexis. But he had no tough choices today. That rattled him.

This new, unfamiliar edge was driven by Julian's inability to read his boss. Did Richter's failure to engage Julian mean that he was happy with the direction of things? That didn't seem possible. But if he went to all this trouble to frame Sam for blackmail, why wasn't he making any demands? Was it just a psychological game now? Was "Luke" content merely to toy with Julian before making him suffer? His boss was psychotic enough to do it.

The sun started to rise over the trees and Julian could feel his forehead start to burn. He'd forgotten a hat and suntan lotion. For a moment he remembered the scarf in the glove compartment and smiled at the thought of driving his very masculine sportscar with his head ensconced in a pink floral scarf that a baboushka would reject as too frivolous. Well, at least one baboushka. Alexis hated the scarf she had bought at a rest stop gift shop, but kept forgetting to replace it with something more stylish. Now it was a moot point, but he refused to toss the scarf. In his heart he needed to believe she'd be back, even if his head lacked that level of confidence.

As he headed back to the city he let out a heavy sigh, his standard accompaniment to all Alexis-related thoughts of late: how he lied to her, how she moved on top of him, how he made her sob, how she made him ache. Julian wanted her back, but he knew that he couldn't pursue her. Not until Sam was exonerated. But when his daughter was free and clear, he would corner Alexis until she relented. He smiled ruefully at the memory of telling her he would wait as long as it took: Julian had lied to her again.

* * *

><p>-"So who wants to go first," Sam asked before taking a sip from the Kelly's coffee Julian brought with him. As she felt the caffeine electrify her bloodstream, she mentally added another plus in the "Dads are good things" column.<p>

-"Where are we with the safe? Anything that could help us figure out who took the gun?" Alexis sipped Julian's bribe as she looked directly at her daughter.

Sam shook her head. "The only ones who had the combination were me, Jason and Spinelli. I checked with Spinelli, and he swears he never gave it to anyone. He's also never written it down—he's got it memorized."

-"Dammit," Alexis muttered.

-"Do you want me to look for evidence it's been broken into?"

Alexis mulled it over. "Can he do it without physically touching the safe? Not leave a trace he was there?"

-"I'm not sure. It'd be much easier if he had the freedom to dust it for prints, look for evidence of tampering in the lock itself."

-"I know," Alexis admitted. "But here's the thing. If we're going to do something to the safe, we need to be clear that the cops are done with it. Otherwise if they find anything *after* we've done our exam, they can always say we sabotaged the safe to make it look like a robbery."

-"So what? We don't look at all?" Sam's exasperation was evident in her tone.

-"No, I'm not saying that…" Alexis trailed off. "I'm just…Sam, are you *sure* Jason never shared it with anyone? Could he have written it down anywhere? Was it something easy that someone could extrapolate if they new anything about Jason?"

-"He did come up with the combination, Mom. But they were random numbers. They didn't mean anything to him or me or Spinelli."

-"Look. Here's what I'm afraid of. If someone knew the combination, he or she wouldn't need to tamper with it."

Julian jumped in, "And if we tell the cops we're checking to see if it was tampered with and it *wasn't*, we've helped them strengthen their case." His look avoided Sam, but she felt him lightly touch her knee. This was the rationale the two were using to withhold the surveillance footage from Alexis.

-"OK. That makes sense, Mom. Let me check if there's a way he can eyeball it to see if there's any evidence of tampering before we move forward."

-"Thanks, sweetheart." She turned ninety degrees. "Julian, you're up next."

Julian relayed where they stood on the alibi. He and Sam detailed their efforts to find any of the boaters who could have seen her on the lake that afternoon. They brainstormed a bit, deciding to give up on the water skiers and focus on the fishermen. Sam and Julian looked at each other as they realized they were in for another day of searching bait and tackle shops while Alexis called current and former homeowners along the lake to see if anyone knew the identity of the two men who spent years fishing the same spot.

Alexis reported on her lack of success with Rosalie, but was excited to share her conversation with Ava.

-"So, Sam. I had a little chat with your Auntie Ava yesterday. She told me quite a bit about Nina's family."

Julian sat silently, but was listening eagerly. He couldn't explain why his heart raced a little bit faster at the thought of his sister meeting Alexis. He had yet to hear Ava's view, but he was inexplicably desperate to know the views of the woman sitting on his left.

Sam merely proceeded like nothing momentous had happened, oblivious to the emotions manifesting themselves as sweat coating her father's palms. "That must have been fun."

-"Ava is…interesting." Alexis smiled. "But more importantly, she pointed out that Madeleine had more of a motive for this murder than you did."

Julian sat a little straighter, "What do you mean?"

-"Money. Madeleine didn't have any. But now that Silas and Nina are dead, she has it all."

-"But wait…isn't she in jail? Sam, didn't you catch her in that sting?" Julian asked.

-"Yeah, Mom. I'm not sure how she could do it from a prison cell."

-"I admit that a less clever criminal would struggle. But isn't she related to Dr. Obrecht? That family's twists and turns give mine a run for their money. And what about while Nina was in a coma? Wasn't she controlling the money? She managed to hold on to a fortune and keep Silas away for 20 years."

-"It does sound like a good motive. But why would she kill them if she didn't know if she'd even get to enjoy the money? Why put herself out on a limb like that?" Sam asked.

-"She knew she was getting out. And she had to take care of them now before she did." Alexis practically beamed as she added, "Because jail is her alibi."

Sam asked excitedly, "Wow. Does this mean I can start digging?" She shifted to an exaggerated whine as she begged her mother, "Please, Mom. Pretty please. Pleeeaassseee."

-"OK, OK," laughed Alexis. "Yes, dear. You can dig into Madame Westbourne."

Julian looked at the two of them. "I still don't see how this helps us. Especially if she ends up in jail."

-"Ahhh. Because she won't." Alexis then noted the legal team that Madeleine retained. The name was familiar to Julian, as those in his line of work usually leveraged their services to help with difficult witness statements, inconvenient pieces of evidence and weak alibis.

-"This makes perfect sense, Mom. But, I thought you didn't want me to investigate this yet."

-"I think we need to parallel process, sweetheart. We're not having as much luck with the alibi as we thought, so I think we should selectively go on the offensive. And Madeleine is perfect. Even if we can't find evidence she hired someone—which is my dream, by the way—we can certainly find enough to provide reasonable doubt. Maybe even point the cops in her direction before we even get to a trial."

Sam was quiet. "You think I'm going to trial, don't you?"

-"I don't know, Sam." Alexis flirted with the idea of offering false comfort to her daughter, but rejected it. "Look. This is how my brain works. I think of the worst-case scenario for all my clients because every client is in a hole, Sam. My job is to investigate all ways out of that hole and get them out. Right now, you're my client—a client who happens to be a PI. If you weren't an investigator, I'd be doing all of this anyway, just behind your back. But you want to work and you need to stay busy. If it's too much for you—"

-"No. Of course not. It's not too much for me, Mom. I'm just…" Sam trailed off, her face contorted as she found the words to articulate what she was feeling. "Ugh. I'm frustrated but I'm scared. I move between hopeful and angry and hopeless. And then I feel guilty. Because I'm only thinking about me, but the man I loved is dead. I shouldn't feel bad about what I may lose because Silas lost it all. And maybe if I had been a better partner, maybe if I gave him a chance to explain himself we wouldn't be here."

-"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Julian put his hand on his daughter's back. "Sam. You're not responsible for what happened to Silas."

-"Dad, I know that someone else pulled the trigger. But what if I agreed to stay and listen? Would he have been with Nina when she died? Would he have been home when someone came to kill him?" Sam took a moment and took a deep breath to calm herself. "I understand that this is all hypothetical and it doesn't change anything. But I can't believe that this is how it ends. That we were figuring stuff out and it's over because someone shot him."

Julian stroked his daughter's hair. "I know it's unfair."

-"When Jason died, I never got closure. We'd finally gotten Danny back. I moved back in here. We were back on track. And then he disappeared just a few hours later. But I could *do* something, you know? I could dive by the pier and try to find him. And I did. I wouldn't give up."

Alexis wiped away the tear that was rolling down her own cheek. She reached across the table to grab Sam's hand. "I know, baby."

Sam interrupted her, "I feel terrible because I don't miss Silas the way I missed—the way I still miss—Jason. Mom, I miss him but not the way I should. That's why I feel guilty."

Alexis grabbed Sam's other hand. "It's different because each story is unique. You loved Silas. You don't have to love him the way you loved Jason. That just wasn't your story with Silas. Hell, that wasn't even your story with Lucky. It doesn't diminish Silas because you didn't love him like you loved Jason. You need to let go of that, baby. Mourn what he was and what you were together. Not what you think you should have been."

Sam gave her mother a slight smile. "I don't know…"

Julian stroked her back, "Sam you don't need to know."

-"Wow. You guys. Take a step back with the advice," Sam started laughing as she sniffled through the last of her tears. "You need to let me finish. What I was going to say was I don't know what I'd do right now if I didn't have the two of you here. I'd probably be in jail right now wondering how Danny was doing living at the Q mansion with Grandma Monica." She added quietly, "I wouldn't be here without you."

* * *

><p>Julian loitered in the dining area with Sam while Alexis washed the lunch dishes. When she returned to her seat, Alexis found him alone.<p>

-"Where's Sam?"

-"She went upstairs. Wanted to take a little nap before your dinner tonight."

-"Oh."

-"I need to talk to you, Alexis. About this Madeleine thing."

-"Sure. What is it?"

-"I mean, I get that she could serve as an alternate theory of the crime should this ever go to trial. But why are you having Sam investigate this now? What if she actually did it?"

Alexis interrupted him, "Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying you don't think your boss did this?"

-"You made a very convincing case, Alexis. And he's…"

She sat up straighter. "He's what? What has he asked of you?"

Julian looked into her eyes and tried to reassure her. "Nothing, Alexis. He's asked for nothing."

-"So that means you don't think he did it?"

-"I didn't say that. I'm just wondering if it's possible he didn't."

-"It could be, possible, Julian. But if someone's framing Sam—someone like a Madeleine—we'd have the gun with Sam's prints on it. The key to making someone a patsy is to do it quickly, so no one has time to stop and think. So new circumstances can screw up your carefully laid plans." She paused. "As you well know."

-"Nice."

-"It's true, isn't it?" she snapped.

-"You know what, Alexis? Let it out. Yell at me, scream at me. Be as mean to me as you want. I deserve it. So I'll take it—all the passive-aggressive bullshit. Push me away as much as you like." He pulled his chair closer to hers. "But let me tell you what it's going to be like when this nightmare with Sam is over. I'm going to start pushing back, Alexis. I'm not going to give you room to breathe. Because it doesn't matter what you say to me or even what you do. This story? This is the only one in my life that's mattered. And I'm not letting it go."

Alexis sat immobile, her eyes furious. "And what if I do? What if I decide I'm done with this story, Julian?"

-"You won't."

-"You don't get to make that decision for me," she spat.

-"I'm not, Alexis. You won't because you *can't.*" Julian smirked. "I know how you feel about me. I see it in the way you look at me. I hear it in the words you say and the sounds you make. I feel it when I'm within 100 miles of you." He moved her bangs out of her eyes with his fingertips. "We're connected. There isn't a version of me that exists anymore that doesn't include you, Alexis. There hasn't been for a while." He looked at her. She tried so hard to be impassive, but her eyes gave her away. They did it every time.

-"But what if I really want out, Julian. What if you're wrong? What if I can walk away?"

-"I love you, Alexis. If you're out…if you're really *really* out…"

-"What? What do you do then?"

-"I let you go. When you're with me, when you're truly with me it's because your heart doesn't let you leave. It will never be because I forced you to stay."

Alexis wiped a tear away as she whispered, "Thank you."


	21. Chapter 21

The August air was thick, the humidity serving as a soft focus lens that blurred the lines between tree and sky and water. Although the sun was starting to set, Alexis wore her sunglasses to protect her eyes from the wind that whipped across her face as she stood at the front of the launch. The wind's velocity formed a cocoon of sorts, making it difficult to turn her head and blocking out all sound. She hummed a bit to herself to see if she could hear her own voice; it was still there although a faint murmur. Something inside Alexis wanted to push the captain aside and open up the throttle so she could scream as loud as her lungs would allow into the wind's roar. But the man had about 90 lbs on her, severely hindering her chances of physically overpowering him. Plus it would probably scare her fellow passengers, Danny and Sam, albeit for very different reasons. So she stood staring at the expanse of lake in front of her, watching the bow bob as it cut through the water, the wake trailing behind them.

* * *

><p>Alexis's ride on the launch transferred the knots of her stomach to her hair. She found a band in her bag and threw the tangled mess into a loose bun. She looked in the mirror in the foyer to check her work and noted the wind-burned flush of her cheeks and the calm she gathered on her trip to the island had created a convincing aura of serenity. This mask gave her confidence as she moved into the front room to greet her nephew, uncle and youngest child.<p>

Sam watched her mother touch up and greet Nikolas, a very different woman than the one who greeted the launch captain a half hour earlier. She wondered how much energy it took her mother to maintain the facade. If she weren't a cynic, she'd believe that this act was for her uncle. Sam knew better. The show was for all of them.

Her mother was in the early stages of falling apart. Sam knew this. But she didn't know *why.* Not for the first time since Silas's death did Sam get the feeling her parents weren't being completely honest with her. And whatever secret they were keeping was taking its toll on Alexis. Sam assumed it had to do with Julian; the couple had separated before the murder, but remained in each other's orbit. But since her father showed up at her apartment a week ago, he and Alexis were both closer and more distant. As though a child fit two puzzle pieces together perfectly and then insisted on driving a large wedge between them.

Julian was still new to Sam, and she struggled to read him. Her father seemed chastened in her mother's presence, a tightly wound paragon of restraint. His face was calm and impassive while his muscles strained throughout his body. Her mother, conversely, was a much easier read. Sam had known her so long even Alexis's attempts at stoicism were fraught with meaning. She wavered between icy hostility and warm vulnerability in Julian's presence.

Whatever seismic event dialed up the intensity of her parents' relationship had little impact on those around them because Alexis absorbed all the aftershocks. Sam looked at her mother, standing straight and tall. Her bones were thin yet made of steel. But even steel is known to buckle when the right pressure is applied.

* * *

><p>Dinner started somewhat awkwardly, as the parties tried to merge their individual relationships with Uncle Victor into a cohesive narrative. His quick wit and light laugh eased their efforts and soon enough they fell into familiar patterns. Molly excitedly described her first horseback-riding lesson, her face lit up in a way Alexis hadn't seen in months. She peppered her Uncle with questions about growing up in Greece, and he regaled her with tales of fishing with his brothers and charming the local shopkeepers from whom he tried to pinch candy.<p>

Spencer was also enraptured by his uncle and shared all he had learned about the Greek gods. The young heir seemed to shed what Alexis viewed as an atrocious degree of precociousness in Victor's presence, behaving like a normal eight year old.

Alexis was smiling as they left the dining room and retired to the patio in the back. The buzz from the wine and the conversation made her feel lighter. She didn't trust the feeling, but was willing to give into it, enjoying the time without a weight crushing her shoulders. Alexis giggled to herself at the thought that of all the places in Port Charles, the gothic nightmare that was Wyndemere would be the one location where she could she shed her cares. Nikolas and Sam huddled together in the corner and then rejoined the group to announce they would be building a bonfire. Spencer announced he was going to teach Danny how to use Legos, a classic Cassadine maneuver to cover for what the future prince perceived to be an immature endeavor: building a cool fire truck.

Molly lay across the outdoor loveseat, her long legs hanging over the side as her head rested in her mother's lap. The haze had miraculously lifted without benefit of thunderstorm and the stars were visible. Victor pointed out constellations to his youngest niece as Alexis stroked her daughter's hair like she had when she was a much smaller girl. For one idyllic night the constant specter of death that had haunted their summer refused to follow them. The water separating the mainland from Spoon Island was the Rubicon and their worries had no interest in crossing.

The tableau dissolved as Sam and Nikolas enlisted Molly in helping them find ingredients for smores. It was quiet until Alexis lay her head back and sighed deeply, drawing her uncle's attention.

-"But this is a lovely night, Alexis."

She smiled at her uncle, "Very good, Uncle. I appreciate your efforts to use my preferred name."

-"It does pain me to use the diminutive. But you do have a lovely smile, so it makes it all worthwhile. You get your smile from your mother, you know."

Alexis leaned forward, "I forget you knew her."

-"Of course I did. She lived on the island, Alexis."

-"Did you know about the affair? On the island?"

-"Oh, there wasn't an affair on the island, Alexis. Admittedly, Mikkos was smitten with her. I think every man had a little bit of a crush on her. But nothing happened on the island. If it had she never would have made it *off.*" Alexis's face darkened briefly before flashing back to a smile at the approach of Molly.

-"You both seem pretty chatty. Are you telling fun Cassadine secrets?" Molly's eyes sparkled with the thought of ancient conspiracies.

-"No, Molly. I was just answering questions about your grandmother."

Molly's confused response of "Helena?" drew a wince from her mother.

-"Helena is not your grandmother, sweetheart."

-"I'm sorry, Mom. I know that. Wait…do you mean Kristin? My real grandmother?"

-"The one and the same."

-"Sam," Molly called enthusiastically, "Uncle Victor has stories about Grandma Kristin."

Alexis looked from one daughter to the other. She never discussed her mother, and she was shocked to learn that the phrase "Grandma Kristin" was familiar to both her daughters. "I didn't realize you were so interested, Molly."

-"Mom, you're kidding right? Kristina, Sam and I have Googled her a million times."

She froze at that. Alexis had not searched for her mother on the Internet in years, and she was nervous about what her daughters found—particularly around her mother's death. "What have you discovered?"

Sam saw Alexis's discomfort and piped in, "A lot of old reviews of her concerts. Some recordings. We even found an old obituary after her car accident."

Alexis smiled at her oldest as a thank you for assuaging her fears. Google confirmed the lie of her mother's death, so it must be true. Thank God.

-"But what we're missing, Mom, is who she was. What made her tick," Molly piped in.

-"Well, I can help with that," Victor offered. "I didn't know her well, but I'll answer what I can."

Molly and Sam looked at each other, unsure where to start. The elder asked the first question, "Where was she from?"

-"She was from a Swedish family, but they had lived in Germany, I think. Presumably West since she made her way to Greece. German was her first language. I believe that's also your first language, isn't it Alexis?"

-"Yes. It is."

Molly jumped in, "How did she become a governess? I mean she was this amazingly talented opera singer. Why was she teaching?"

-"I don't know that she had much choice. She had a glorious voice. I know people say 'touched by an angel,' but I mean it. And almost no training," Victor looked amazed at the memory. "She told Tony once she had auditioned for a company and they told her she needed lessons. So she took the job on the island to pay for it."

-"But why Cassadine Island? Why wouldn't she go to a city where she could work and train?"

-"Working as a governess on Cassadine Island paid exceedingly well. It was a way to earn enough money to put herself through intensive classes."

Alexis studied her daughter cross-examining Victor; he reveled in her relentless questioning. The two of them had apparently developed a bond during the course of her stay at Wyndemere. Although she appreciated how this new kinship had started to heal her baby, she wished desperately they were engaged in another topic of conversation. Nikolas had joined them at this point, and lightly squeezed his aunt's hand, well aware that Molly was inadvertently treading traumatic ground.

He tried to jump in, but Molly bulldozed right over him. "So she left the island to go study music. And Grandpa Mikkos followed her. On the one hand it's romantic, but I can see how it would be upsetting to his wife."

Victor seemed attuned to the widely varying reactions to the interview, even as his interrogator remained oblivious. "You know what, Molly? There's not much more I remember, I'm afraid. How about we show off a little of the Russian you learned this week?"

Molly blushed as she realized she had been the only one asking questions about her grandmother. Once again, everyone seemed to know a secret she didn't and she looked at her mother, her big brown eyes communicating an apology.

Alexis put her hands on either side of her daughter and kissed her forehead before whispering in her ear, "I love that you want to know more." She smoothed Molly's hair and smiled, "so, Russian, huh? Let's hear it, Miss Molls."

* * *

><p>Julian fixed himself another bourbon and paced about the apartment.<p>

-"Is it helping?"

-"Is what helping?"

-"The booze. The pacing. Is it helping whatever is troubling you?" Ava reclined on the couch, a fashion magazine open on her lap. Julian sat in the chair opposite her and fiddled with his glass. The silence finally drew an exasperated sigh from his sister.

-"What, Julian? Just tell me what the problem is."

-"What makes you think there's a problem?"

She closed the magazine and cast it aside. "Is it Sam's case? Our boss?" A smile crept across her face, "Alexis?"

He stared at her. "Maybe."

-"OK. Well, we can watch TV or we can talk about it. Or you can go catch a movie by yourself somewhere since you can leave. I, however, am stuck here and I am over the sulking. So pick your poison, big brother. What's it gonna be?"

-"So you talked to Alexis."

-"Yup."

Julian saw her smirk and knew she was going to make him work for it. "How did it go?"

-"Fine." Ava was stifling a laugh, but a small chuckle escaped her throat. "Juuuuuuliannnnn. Do you want to ask me what I thought of your girlfriend?" she teased.

-"She's not my girlfriend."

-"Fine. Your lover. Your babymama." He shot her a look. "Your Ex."

-"Yes, OK. Yes. What did you think of your conversation with Alexis?"

-"You mean what I thought of her?"

-"Jesus, Ava. YES. What did you think of her?"

Ava giggled at Julian's frustration. "Sorry. It's a little sister's prerogative to annoy." She shifted up and put a pillow behind her back. "What did I think of Alexis?" Ava considered how to respond before passing the ball back in his direction: "Well how would you describe her?"

-"What do you mean how would I describe her?"

-"I'm just looking for adjectives, Julian." He looked in his drink. "Look, I've got a magazine right here. If you don't want to do this, you can always walk to the Floating Rib."

-"I think she's smart."

-"Good start. Keep going."

-"She's remarkably kind. Her heart is open, but you've got to get in first. OK, she can be really funny. She'll go to the worst-case scenario sometimes, but you can usually pull her back. She'll defend you if she trusts you. She's stalwart…is this what you're looking for?"

Ava smiled at him. "Yes. Want me to go?"

Julian snarked at her. "Well, I did start by asking you what you thought."

-"OK. I agree she's smart. She may be funny, but she tends to be on her guard with me, so I'm not sure. Her taste in men is somewhat questionable. And she's very, very secretive, Julian."

-"Do you think so?"

-"Are you kidding me?" Julian looked at her blankly. "Wow. You're serious. OK. Let's start with the basics. What's her name, Julian?"

-"Alexis Davis."

-"Are you sure? Didn't you call her Alexandra at one time? Doesn't Luke call her some Russian name like Ivanka or something—"

-"Natasha"

-"Right. Natasha. And she's a Cassadine, but she goes by Davis."

-"That's not unusual. I spent years as Derek Wells."

-"You were in the Witness Protection Program." Ava sighed. "I'm not criticizing her, Julian. I'm just wondering how much you *really* know about her."

-"What does it matter if she's changed her last name? Her family was tough. She wanted a new start."

Ava shook her head. "It never ceases to amaze me how uninterested you are in people's motivations."

-"Ava. I love Alexis. We share a lot with each other. We are connected. When she wants to tell me about her life, I am there to listen to her. But I respect her boundaries."

-"You do, do you? Didn't she break up with you?"

-"Yes. So?"

-"Since you broke up, how many times have you slept together?" Julian looked at his glass. "Let me guess more than once. Let me guess again: you started it, Julian." She shook her head. "Let's try one more question. Let's go basic on this one. Who are her parents?"

-"Her father is Mikkos Cassadine. Her mother was an opera singer. His mistress. She died when Alexis was young."

-"How did she die?"

-"Car accident."

-"Did Alexis tell you that?"

-"No. When we reconnected at the hospital she implied her mother's death was traumatic and I did some research once I discovered her name."

-"Well, you're wrong."

-"How do you know?"

-"Because Morgan told me. Or at least he told me the gossip. His step-father is Alexis's ex-husband. He overheard one of his parents' fights where Carly brought up her diagnosis of Alexis's mental state and the potential causes."

-"So. Are you going to tell me?"

Ava considered him for a moment before making a decision. "No. I'm not going to tell you. If she hasn't told you then you haven't earned it yet." Julian shrugged noncommittally, so Ava infused cheer into her tone. "The good news is that apparently I like her enough to keep her secrets. She was thoughtful and brought me a brownie. She obviously loves you. But you underestimate her Julian. She's smarter than you think and stronger than you know."

-"This sounds like a ringing endorsement," he noted suspiciously.

-"If the very few things I've heard about Alexis are true than I can't believe she's not locked away in a room with padded walls, Julian. I don't know how you've hurt her, but I can see you have. The guilt is practically dripping off you. Just remember that people like Alexis go until they can't anymore. And sometimes when they stop they have a hard time starting again. Keep that in mind."

Julian got up to pour himself another drink, reflecting on his sister's assessment. "I get what you're saying, Ava. And if she was a mark or a target, then sure. I'd dig up everything I could on her. Just like I started to do when we first came to town." He moved back to his seat. "But she's not a mark. She's a partner. And when she wants to tell me something, I'll listen. But I'm not going to upend a system that's worked for her because I'm put out that I don't know why she changed her last name."

Ava sounded bewildered as she relayed her dawning realization. "Why Julian Jerome. You really do love her."

-"Have you not been listening?" Julian stopped mid-thought to pull his buzzing phone from his pocket. He nodded at his sister, "Gimme a sec. It's Sam."

* * *

><p>The weird pall that had threatened the mood lifted as the group combined graham crackers, chocolate and toasted marshmallows. Alexis watched Victor struggle to keep dangling marshmallow and dripping chocolate off his Hugo Boss jacket and chuckled silently.<p>

-"What's so funny, Aunt?"

-"I was just thinking, Nikolas, how we never made smores out here with Stefan." Nikolas started to laugh. "I mean all those times he begged us, and we just never said yes."

-"Well, Aunt, that's because Helena never shared her special recipe with us."

The laughter grew, "It was her revenge against Stefan! She was just angry because he never let her cut the wood for the bonfire. He always had to gather it himself."

-"That's because all the best kindling was on the bluff."

-"Don't forget the flint that she stored on the parapet."

-"And my uncle's guitar. He always wanted to sit out here and have Bob Dylan sing-alongs. But we said 'no.' Maybe if we'd let him lead us all in Kumbaya just once liked he asked us to…"

Alexis and Nikolas had worked themselves into hysterical laughter, choking and red-faced with tear-stained cheeks. Sam, Spencer and Molly looked at each other as the jokes about Stefan and Helena went over their heads. Victor grinned recognizing the folly in imagining Helena doing any physical labor.

Alexis wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "Oh, Nikolas. Maybe that was what we needed. Fewer bacchanalias, more campfires."

-"If only we had bought Helena an apron. All she ever wanted to do was bake and take care of her children, Alexis. But we made her take over the world."

-"We are such selfish, selfish people, Nikolas."

* * *

><p>Sam opted to stay the night at Wyndemere, sharing Molly's king-sized bed as it was too late to move Danny. Alexis begged off a sleepover; although she had genuinely enjoyed herself, she preferred to keep her time at Wyndemere to a minimum. As she left for the launch, Sam offered to call ahead and arrange a taxi to meet her at the pier. Although Alexis enjoyed the docks at night, she acquiesced to her daughter's plea for safety.<p>

The ride back to the mainland was a haze. She watched the lights flicker off on Spoon Island until the trees obscured Wyndemere from view. As they pulled into the slip, Alexis sighed. There was no taxi, but a familiar sports car idled on the dock. She stepped off the boat, calling out, "Are you moonlighting now?"

He stood against his car, his lips curled as he responded. "Something like that."

Alexis approached Julian, stopping at a distance that was too far to be intimate yet too close to be platonic. "Sam called you," she stated.

-"Yup."

-"Why? There are plenty of good, reliable taxis in this city."

-"She thinks you need more than a ride…home."

She simpered in response to his phrasing. "And what does our daughter think I need?"

-"She thinks I broke something. Her exact words were, 'Dad. Fix it.'"

The haze she felt on the boat carried over to land. She could hear the water lapping against the dock and the distant buoys, but everything else was quiet. It was dark, but one of the security lights from a nearby warehouse provided enough of a glow that she could make out Julian's features. He was confident, teasing; the guilt that had lined his face the past weeks was gone. Alexis took a half step closer.

-"So what are you planning to do?"

-"Take you home. Warm you up some milk. Tuck you in." His words crawled through her brain and she caught her breath. The insinuation surfaced a hundred different memories of body parts and groans and whispers. It was all she could do to not grab him and fuck him on the hood of his car. Give the launch captain a little show for his trouble.

-"I don't want to go home. Let's drive."


	22. Chapter 22

The top was down, and Alexis opened the glove compartment out of habit, using her phone to illuminate the interior in search of her scarf. Her failure to see the garish colors was frustrating until she reached her hand in and felt chiffon. She pulled out a navy—or was it black?—scarf and ran her fingers across it.

-"Sam finally made you throw out that abomination I wore on my head, huh?"

-"Nope. Sam prefers a hat. Hers is in the backseat."

Alexis suppressed a smile. Julian really believed she was coming back. In fairness, he had reason for optimism: she *was* in the car. She contemplated the scarf before folding it carefully and placing it back where she found it. Pulling the band out of her bun, she shook her hair free before smoothing it back into a tighter ponytail. Julian emitted a small sigh, and Alexis grabbed his arm and looked into his eyes. "I love it, Julian. I just want something less…constricting. I want…" Her voice trailed off and she bit her lip. "Julian, let's just go."

* * *

><p>She wasn't really paying attention to where they were headed, she only knew they were probably going a little bit faster than the posted speed limits. Julian believed all speed signs were merely suggestions and had waxed poetic on that subject numerous times. Alexis put an arm over the side and tentatively stuck her head out, trying to recreate the feeling she'd experienced on the boat. The safety features of the car made it difficult to fully recapture it, but with some contortion of her body she could approximate it well enough to get the sense of abandon she craved.<p>

Her companion stayed firmly focused on the road. Julian had wanted to drive fast for a while, and spurred by the silent Bonnie in the passenger seat, Clyde headed out for some of the flatter terrain further inland. They wouldn't get back until dawn, but he really didn't care. He wanted out of Port Charles, away from all of it: Ava's snarking, Sonny's imperiousness, his boss's psychotic whims, Jordan's questions, Lucas's distance, Molly's disdain, Sam's danger even Danny's occasional crying. It felt like there was only one thing he really cared about. She was sitting on his right quietly with her eyes closed, her fingers dancing in the wind that flew by the car.

They cruised for an hour or so in total silence before the fuel tank warning lit. "Sorry to disappoint you Cinderella, but our ride's about to turn back into a pumpkin." Alexis smiled at him and curled her head into her own shoulder. Julian pulled into the gas station, started to fill up the tank and sighed in exasperation. "One sec," he said to her before disappearing into the small store to pay for the gas. He returned and gave her a bottle of water, replaced the fuel pump and started the engine.

-"So princess. Any destination in particular you're hoping for?"

-"Nope. I don't want to make any decisions. I'm content to go where you lead."

Julian's eyes roamed over her face. Her eyes were bright, like she was game for anything. He thought about where he would take her if he could. Niagara Falls? How far was it? They could be in Montreal in five hours or so, wandering along the St. Lawrence. When was that Jazz festival? How long would it take to get to Maine, to stand on that northernmost point and look out at the vast expanse of ocean, straining your eyes to do the impossible—see Spain. Or Ireland. Or England. Or whatever was directly across from you. He looked at her again, and said "One more sec." He jumped out of the car and returned to the small shop, emerging with a small bag.

-"What's that?"

-"Emergency supplies. It's really not that exciting, so don't get your hopes up."

Alexis opened the bag to find bug spray. "You're right. Not romantic."

-"Sorry."

-"It's hard to make bug spray romantic. I guess I could just chalk it up to you protecting me."

Julian lowered his voice, "Baby, I know how the bugs feel cause in that dress I could eat you alive."

Alexis started laughing. "Points for trying. Just drive, Julian."

* * *

><p>He cruised back up towards a lake, pulling into an overlook off the side of the road. Alexis got out of the car, the scent of aloe wafting from her exposed skin. Julian went to the trunk and opened up an emergency blanket he kept there, spreading it on a patch of grass near a copse of elm trees. Ears, rather than eyes attested to the nearness of the water, and fireflies moved about silently.<p>

Julian lay back on the blanket, looking up at the stars. He was soon joined by Alexis who entwined her fingers in his, forging a connection while unconsciously stopping his hands from wandering. There would be no repeats of the 'Notorious' night.

Alexis noted a few constellations, mumbling about the myths associated with them. Julian was impressed: "I wasn't aware that astronomy was a latent skill. Remind me we need to do this again in the winter sky."

She smiled. "I can't actually take credit. I learned all of this three hours ago."

-"Quick study."

-"I think my Uncle Victor is just a great teacher."

It was quiet for a few moments before Julian asked, "So. How was dinner?"

-"It was good. Relaxing really. Normally, I hate Wyndemere but tonight…I don't know. It felt like I'd escaped." She pulled up a blade of grass and idly started rolling it in her free hand. "It did for a while anyway."

-"What happened?"

- "Victor felt inclined to share family lore." Alexis sighed. "In fairness Molly did ask about it."

-"She's a pretty curious kid."

-"Tell me about it." Her tone turned thoughtful. "I guess I had this weird thought that if I didn't talk about something, my kids wouldn't know about it. Then it turns out she's been using the Internet to answer to questions I'd discouraged her from asking."

-"Like what?"

-"Well, I can confirm she's been looking into my mother…but I worry what else she's searching for. Like answers about Ric. Or maybe about my killing Luis Alcazar. Or her grandfather trying to freeze the world."

-"She's almost an adult, Alexis. You can't stop her from looking."

-"I know. Plus it's a natural instinct. I had it once. I wanted to know where I came from. Tonight just reaffirmed that I don't anymore."

-"How so?"

-"Victor just…I don't know. He's the only person I know other than Helena who has met my mother. And as he started talking about her, I realized I didn't want to hear it."

-"Any particular reason?"

-"I just…I just know how it ends. My memories of my mother are fairly hazy. I remember music and smiles and just feeling safe. Most of my memories are like that anyway."

-"So how are Victor's different?"

-"It's like when he tells stories of her on Cassadine Island…I just want to scream 'leave' or 'run'! I never want to think of her on that island." She turned to look at him, but he was still looking at the stars. "If she had never taken the job or if she'd left three months earlier, maybe she'd still be here," Alexis added quietly.

-"Butterfly effect, huh? But you can't think like that Alexis. I mean, if I didn't get Sam coffee from Kelly's one night three months ago, would she have gone to the lake house the one day she needed an alibi? If your mother hadn't worked on the island would she have gotten into a car and drove late at night on a Viennese street?"

-"It's not quite that simple." Alexis rolled over to look at Julian. "Wait. How did you know she died in Vienna?"

Julian turned his head to face her. "Sooo…it was part of my initial research."

-"What research?"

-"If you move to a town to take down the local crime boss, it's kind of important to know about the people on his war council."

-"I wasn't on his war council."

-"Well, I know that *now.* But back then…beautiful unbeatable lawyer, defended him for years, mother of his child? You looked good for consigliere at the time. Especially since he never really replaced his old one."

-"So do you still 'research' me?"

-"Nope."

-"When did you stop?"

-"When I realized I'd much rather have you whisper your secrets in my ear. Preferably when we were naked."

-"And when was that?"

-"Right around the time Danny got better."

Alexis rolled onto her back. "But I never shared them with you."

-"Nope."

-"Are you disappointed?"

-"Nope."

-"You don't think I'm a hypocrite?"

-"Why would I think that?"

-"Cause I railed on you for weeks about lying to me. Because I've hammered you on telling me everything."

-"That's different."

-"How? How is it different?"

-"Because the lies I told you led to things like getting your house blown up. Or what's happening with Sam. Not telling me that the obits about your mother's death aren't true isn't the same thing."

-"That's generous of you."

-"It's not generous. I love you. This is who you are. If you ever want to tell me, I'll listen. But I don't see how prying into your psyche with a crowbar benefits either of us."

Alexis was quiet. "So who told you about my mother's death?"

-"Huh?"

-"You said my mother dying in a car accident wasn't true. I wonder who told you that."

-"Oh." Julian waited a few beats. "There are rumors…"

-"Like?"

-"I don't actually know. I've never heard them. When I was told it wasn't true, I didn't really press."

-"Who told you?"

-"Ava. I guess she heard from Morgan."

Alexis sat up. "Morgan knows? He can't know. He'd tell Molly and then Molly would say something."

-"I don't know what he knows, Alexis. I also don't know the real story, so I couldn't confirm if the things he's heard are true or not even if I wanted to. But if Molly hasn't said anything I think it's fair to assume she probably doesn't know whatever it is you're trying to keep from her."

Alexis nervously pulled at the grass before rolling over to look at him again. "It wasn't a car accident."

-"I've gathered." He turned on his side to face her, propping his head on his elbow. "Look, Alexis. I don't need you to tell me."

-"It's OK. I want to."

-"Then I'm listening."

-"She was murdered."

Alexis hoped for a question to guide her in how to present the tale, but Julian was quiet. It was her story to tell. "Her throat was slit. I guess there was some kind of sick symbolism there...her vocal chords were destroyed."

-"I'm so sorry, Alexis. I take it they never figured out who did it."

-"No, they knew who did it. Well, my father did anyway."

-"OK. I'm a little lost. If she was murdered, why stage a car accident? Why wasn't there a trial if they know who did it?" Julian thought a moment about his recent fabrications. "Your father knew the killer, didn't he?"

-"Yes. It was my stepmother," Alexis said matter-of-factly.

-"Wait. The stepmother that raised you? Did they never tell you? How did you find out?"

-"They didn't need to tell me. Ok, well they *did.* I forgot for a very long time who I was. That I was a Cassadine. I thought I was a poor cousin."

-"How did you find out again?"

-"Luke and I—we were trying to find this mysterious daughter of Mikkos's. This 'Natasha.' And lo and behold, it was me the whole time."

Julian was silent. "I guess I'm missing something, Alexis. How did you forget who you were? You didn't remember your mother at all?"

-"I pushed it down to forget. I guess I couldn't remember my mother without remembering all the blood and the knife and that evil bitch's face."

Realization dawned on Julian. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold it. Are you saying you saw this? That she did this in front of you?"

-"Yes."

-"Jesus, Alexis."

* * *

><p>They lay in the on the ground, talking when they wanted, silent when they felt like it. At one point Alexis was sure she dozed off because the sky was suddenly lighter. They decided they were hungry and found a 24-hour diner open at a truck stop off the highway. Julian stood outside the restroom waiting for her, nervous that a slight brunette in a dress that complemented her assets may find herself illegally popular in a room full of weary, bored—and mostly male—drivers.<p>

The food arrived and Alexis was about to shove a forkful of pancakes to her mouth when she stopped suddenly. "Why were you and Ava talking about me?"

Julian grunted a "huh" through a mouthful of steak and eggs.

-"You said Ava told you my mother wasn't in an accident. Why was I a topic of discussion?"

-"You're kidding, right?"

-"No."

-"Lots of reasons. First, my little sister trades on information. It's the ammunition for her greatest weapon and skill: manipulation. Second, she's informed me that my moods have swung a bit of late and she holds you somewhat responsible. Last, she's stuck in that penthouse bored out of her mind. There isn't a topic of discussion that hasn't been covered."

-"Oh." Alexis waved her fork in the air before asking coyly, "What else did she say about me?"

Julian felt a warmth that made him smile. He teased her. "So. You care what my family thinks of you, huh?"

-"Sure I do. I mean, she is my daughter's aunt."

He arched an eyebrow. "So you're asking out of concern for Sam."

Alexis was flustered. "Ugh. Fine. No, I'm not. I do care what your family thinks of me, Julian."

-"That's better," he said smugly. "Well, she thinks you're smart. And pretty strong. And secretive."

-"I'm not secretive."

-"Well, I don't think so. But I can read every look on your face. For someone like Ava, though, who likes information—"

-"—my reticence to share can seem secretive."

-"Yup." Julian took a sip of coffee. "What do you think of her?"

She cocked her head to the side in contemplation. "I'm not sure exactly. I mean, she's a gangster—no offense—so we're not alike there. She does like to manipulate. And she's smart…we're just really different, so it's hard to tell based on the few meetings we've had."

Julian choked on his coffee. "You think you're really different?"

Alexis became indignant. "Yes. Don't you?"

-"I guess in some ways on the surface, sure. But you're both the illegitimate daughters of powerful men who didn't really see the need to claim you, and that's driven who you are. You both fight fiercely for your family. You're both really smart. You both manipulate—"

-"—hey—"

Julian put his hand up in defense "—but in very different ways. You manipulate facts to tell a story you need for your client. She manipulates facts for…other reasons." He took a sip of his coffee. "Oh! And you've both pretended your illegitimate daughters were Quartermaines."

Alexis gave Julian a sarcastic, "Ha. Ha."

-"Look, it's not an insult Alexis. I love you both…*very* differently, of course. Think of it this way, you're both the trunk of the same tree. Just with really different branches."

-"Do me a favor."

-"What?"

-"Don't use that analogy again."

* * *

><p>They were just outside of Port Charles, when Julian took a familiar turn. Alexis looked at him curiously, but decided to save her questions until they reached their destination. The sun was low over the lake, and the air was cool yet humid—a prelude to another sweltering day.<p>

He got out of the car and waited for her silently, holding out his hand. She gave him a questioning look as she took it, but he stayed silent as he led her to the tree that shaded the area that had once been her living room. He placed her back to him and pointed to a branch. "Look up."

It took Alexis a few seconds to see what he was pointing to. "What am I…wait. What is that? Is that a camera?"

-"Yup. Or it used to be."

Alexis was confused when she asked, "Why is there a camera pointed at my house?" She rotated slowly, as her brain answered her own question. "Julian? Why is there a camera pointed at my house?"

-"Because I put it there. Along with others in the trees overlooking the back of the property."

She felt the heat rising up in her chest. Her voice was controlled but steely. "Julian, why did you invade my privacy and put multiple cameras around my house?"

-"Because my boss shot Lucas. And I wanted to make sure you were safe."

She waved her hand over where her house used to be and caustically replied, "Well, mission accomplished."

Julian looked down at his feet. He knew she was pissed, and he needed to get passed it to talk about implications for Sam's case.

-"You know what, Julian. It's fine. I get it. Let's just…wait. Wait." The anger on her face quickly turned to hope. "Do you have a recording of Sam?"

-"We couldn't retrieve anything from this camera. It was too damaged. The others…they don't have the right angle."

-"OK. Let's just take the feed and send it to Sam's partner, Spinelli. Maybe he can make something out of it—"

-"Sam already tried that, Alexis. He came up empty."

-"Shit," she spat. She started rubbing her temples before stopping suddenly. "Wait, Sam knows about the cameras? Why didn't she say anything?"

-"We wanted to wait until we had information to share."

-"What do you mean 'until' you had information to share, Julian? The *existence* of the cameras is information you should have shared." She shook her head. "And Sam knew. And she didn't tell me. Great," she mumbled to herself. Alexis stomped to the car, "I want to go home."

-"Alexis, wait."

-"Nope. We're good. Let's just go. I'm tired."

-"We're not leaving."

Alexis was working hard to restrain herself, but her quiet fury was putting up a decent fight. "What do you mean we're not leaving?"

-"You're pissed. And we're not leaving until we talk it out."

-"I'm not pissed."

-"Well, that's just bullshit."

-"So what if I am. I don't want to talk about it."

-"I do."

-"You don't always get what you want, Julian."

-"And neither do you, Alexis." Julian threw his keys into the woods.

-"What the hell is the matter with you? Why would you do that?"

Julian crossed his arms and leaned against the hood of his car. His refusal to answer her question enraged her. She went to the car to get her phone out of her bag to call a taxi, but her purse was missing. "Great. Julian, my pocketbook is gone. It's got my phone, my keys…we need to go find it. I had it at the diner, maybe I left it there."

-"It's not at the diner."

-"Then where is it?"

-"The trunk."

Alexis raised her hands to her temples. Her knuckles were white and he had to strain to hear her voice which was deathly quiet. "So I have no way of leaving unless I talk to you. Is that what you're saying? What happened to respecting when I wanted to talk? What happened to 'not taking a crowbar to my psyche'?"

-"That's for stuff that doesn't matter. This is different."

-"How is this different?"

-"Because you're mad at me. Because you've been generally pissed at me for weeks, but you've been incensed since I told you about my boss. And you're pretending that everything's OK, but it's not. It's not good for you, Alexis."

-"I'm fine."

-"Really? Then why am I getting phone calls from our daughter at 11 o'clock at night telling me to fix you? Why are you stumbling back from the MetroCourt after marathon drinking sessions—"

-"—one session. It was once—"

-"Why are you hurling plates at the wall when all I want to do is see if you want a cup of coffee?" Julian dropped his voice "Why do I wake up to find you in Sam's bed?"

Alexis's was so angry her eyes brimmed with tears. Her voice was shaking, "What would you like me to do Julian? Just say it's ok?"

-"No."

-"Fuck you when you feel like it?"

He smiled "No. Well, yes. But no."

-"This isn't funny, Julian. You have some nerve. You blow up my life—literally—and then you have the audacity to question the manner in which I express my displeasure."

-"I just want you to get it out, Alexis. We can't fix it if you don't get it out."

-"We can't fix it if I *do* get it out, Julian. What do you think we're going to live together under the same roof? Never telling Molly her father is dead because of something *you* did? That we're going to get to see each other whenever we want without this weight of Luke's life bearing down on us? That Anna or Dante or the feds are never going to figure out Ric wasn't your boss or that you're still in the mob? That one day your boss isn't going to decide you're more trouble than you're worth and I'm going to have to ID your body that they've pulled out of the harbor? And that's if I'm lucky, Julian. Maybe I'll enjoy Sam's fate and just never know what happened to you."

-"We can do it, Alexis. It'll take some time…"

Alexis was yelling now. "And then there's Sam, Julian. We're fighting to keep her out of jail. I can't sleep because I'm paranoid I've overlooked something. That somewhere there's a clue I've missed that will clear her. And then I find out that my biggest problem isn't your psychotic boss that's toying with us. It's you. And it's Sam. And you're keeping things from me."

-"We kept it from you because we didn't want to report it if there was nothing to report."

-"We're supposed to be a team."

-"We are a team."

-"No. We're not. You don't tell me things. You don't share. I have to pull information out of you, Julian. And if I don't know what lies you're telling, I don't ask the right questions."

-"That's not true."

-"It is true. You single-handedly make decisions that affect me. That affect my children. You don't respect me enough to tell me. You don't trust that I love you enough to tell me." Alexis was crying. "It doesn't matter that Molly hates you. Or that you may go to jail. Those obstacles can be overcome. The reason why we're going to end? The real reason? Is you and me. It's not anyone else." She looked up at him. "And that's why I am so, so angry at you."

Julian waited for her sobs to subside before he approached her. "Hey"

She shrugged away from him and moved towards the car. "I let it out Julian. Now take me home." She started laughing bitterly. "Shit. Your keys. You can't take me home. Let's go find them."

-"Wait."

-"Why?"

-"You're not going to let me respond?"

-"Sure. Go ahead," Alexis signaled wearily.

-"You're right. Everything you said is right. Except for one thing."

-"Really? Which one."

-"You're right I've been making decisions for us. And you're right they've been misguided. I do respect you. I do trust you."

Alexis sighed. "OK. Let's just go."

-"I'm not finished." He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "I brought you here because I know those things are true. I realized last night that I'm making the same mistakes. I brought you here because you needed to know about those cameras." He cupped her face in his hands. "I can't change what I did before, Alexis. I'm new at this. I don't do 'partner' or 'team' well. But I'm trying. And I brought you here because you *are* my partner. And by not telling you, I was double-crossing you."

A fresh round of tears fell down her cheeks. He pressed on, "We're going to get through this. No more secrets between you and me. We're a team." Julian leaned into kiss her on the forehead and she hugged him, burying her face against his chest. Neither said a word for a long time. Alexis sniffled and pulled away.

-"Look. I'm so tired. And we still need to find your keys."

Julian pulled out his phone, "I've got an app for that."

* * *

><p>It took Julian 5 minutes to find his keys using his Tile app. He drove her home, parking illegally in front of Sam's building. Julian walked around to Alexis's door and opened it, taking her hand and escorting her up to Sam's door.<p>

-"Julian, I'd ask you in but…"

-"But you're a good girl, and you don't do that."

She smiled. "Something like that."

-"Well, thank you for a wonderful night, Alexis Davis. You were delightful company."

Alexis snorted, "Yes. Hysteria is lauded as the height of good breeding by polite society…seriously, though. Thank you for being the perfect gentleman."

He leaned in to kiss her. The kiss wasn't as chaste as he intended, the combination of wariness from the fighting and the faint taste of maple that lingered on her lips from breakfast spurred him forward as they engaged in a full-fledged, make-out session.

She pulled away. "Maybe I spoke too soon on the perfect gentleman part."

-"If you could read my mind, you never would have said it in the first place." He kissed the top of the head as he turned to leave. "Good night, Alexis."

-"I think you mean good morning."


	23. Chapter 23

It had been almost a week since Julian had dropped off Alexis after their excursion across Western New York. Sam had teased her mother as she walked through the door, only to adopt a very contrite tone upon realization that Julian had squealed about the cameras. She had appeared relieved to Alexis, though she did hear her daughter mumble something about "snitches."

Molly's temporary return to the penthouse restored a sense of equilibrium. Alexis was in many respects lost without her youngest. She wondered if the attachment was unhealthy—if her dependence on Molly and Kristina and Sam was because she had to fight to keep all three after losing access to each. Although the separations were now voluntary, Alexis would feel pangs at mundane reminders: a fuller carafe after everyone had a cup of coffee, fewer loads of laundry or the end of a power cord lying lonely on the dining room table, desperate for a connection.

Alexis knew that she would lose Molly eventually to the world as her life diverged from her mother's, just like it happened with Kristina and Sam. That process had started even before the summer's events seemed to rattle her daughter's foundation. Alexis was relieved by Molly's resilience. She knew she had shielded all of her children at one point, and she was grateful they could stand alone without her protection. The fact that her daughters referred to her love on occasion as "smothering" did little to phase her: potato, po-tah-to.

The sense of balance was not the only gift Molly brought with her. It became evident that in spite of Sam's legal crisis—which had encouraged a circling of the Davis girls' wagons—the physical limitations of the penthouse were becoming overwhelming. It was time to find new digs.

Alexis, Molly and Sam fell into a familiar routine. Investigative work on Sam's case came in the morning and when Molly returned from school they would spend an hour looking at properties. Dinner consisted of takeout and arguing over which properties were best. Should they rebuild on the lake? Should they find a townhouse downtown to stay closer to Sam and the heartbeat of Port Charles? Should they relocate to another location with enough room for Danny and any future grandchildren to play?

The great real estate debates resolved little in the way of housing needs, but served an important second purpose: they served as a valve that released the tension over Sam's legal limbo. Team Davis/Jerome continued to dig into Madeleine and hunt for both an alibi and the gun, but their progress wasn't enough to definitively end any case against Sam. Discussions of houses replaced worrying over the unthinkable. That helped pull them all through.

The harmony within the household was further tuned by Julian's decision to make himself scarce. Pow-wows regarding Sam's case included only father and daughter, and were held during school hours to keep the interaction between Molly and Julian as infrequent as possible. With one exception—Sam was late for a Danny hand-off—Julian and Molly effectively avoided each other.

* * *

><p>Julian's week was slightly different. He had dropped Alexis off that Sunday morning and spent the rest of the day catching up on sleep. He had mentally promised to avoid Alexis in addition to Molly, hoping his absence from the mother's life would ease her relationship with her daughter. So he was anxious picking up Sam that Wednesday, hoping that whatever issues she saw within her mother were a thing of the past: that he had, in effect, "fixed it." What he got instead was the silent treatment followed by an earful.<p>

-"Look, I thought we were a team," Sam complained.

Julian wondered how many more times he'd have to hear that this week. "What are you talking about? We are a team."

-"Well, 'teammate,' next time you decide to spill a secret we've *both* been keeping from my mother, would you mind filling me in? At least she was too tired to berate me for long."

He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. But you told me to 'fix' the problems with your mother. She seems to have a problem with my failure to disclose information. So, I disclosed some information." Julian threw up his hands in apology. "I'm sorry if that threw you under the bus."

Sam looked at him with her arms crossed, "And?"

Julian stared blankly for several seconds. "Aaaaannddd…I'll never do it again?"

-"I can't believe it took you that long to say that."

-"Sam, the only family I've had for the last 25 years or so is Ava. I'm a little rusty."

She smirked at him, "I think she's all anyone would need really." After a few moments of pouting she gave him a bright smile. "OK, you're forgiven."

-"Great. So…did it work?"

-"What?"

Julian shook his head in frustration. "Your Mom. Whatever's been ailing her…is it better?"

Sam contemplated the question. "She was a little calmer this morning. Her breakfast was more than coffee, so that's a good thing. Plus she had a good discussion with Molly."

-"That's a relief. I'm glad they're not fighting."

She rolled her eyes. "Well of course they're fighting. It's a teenage girl and her mother. BUT, Mom's not caving. She's let Molly walk all over her for months, and that phase appears to have passed."

-"I'm…glad?"

Sam laughed. "Yes, Dad. You're glad. Wow. You really are clueless." She grabbed his arm, "Don't worry, Pops. I'll navigate you through the Davis girls' ways."

-"They are mysterious."

-"Ha. You sound like Jason. Remind me to tell you the time Molly lectured him when I stayed overnight."

-"On the one hand, I don't want to hear about you staying overnight with anyone, even your husband. On the other hand, it sounds like I have more common ground with Molly then I thought."

She turned to look at her father. Sam hoped somewhere deep down that Molly and Julian would find a truce and be able to coexist. But through her own dealings with Ric, she knew that maintaining that level of restraint was difficult. As Sam was still feeling out her own relationship with her father, she didn't think it fair to ask her sister to make that same level of sacrifice if Sam still was unsure Julian would end up worth it. Time would tell.

After yet another day of searching a new section of the lake, Julian and Sam finally had some luck: they were able to get a lead on the group of water-skiers that Sam had seen from the lake house. The man who had rented the boat lived about a three-hour drive from town. It was too late to head out to the potential witness, so Sam and Julian parted with the agreement to meet the next morning in the penthouse before embarking on their road trip.

* * *

><p>Julian precariously balanced the coffee and bagels he'd secured en route to Sam's as he knocked on the door. It had been almost a week since he stood in this spot, and a small smile accompanied the memory of a maple-flavored kiss with Alexis. He was nervous to see her, unsure if the good will and easy rapport he left at this doorstep was waiting for him on the other side of the door. He hoped they were because the battles were exhausting him, especially since he knew there were more to come. Once Sam's freedom was secured, he'd start the task of freeing himself from his boss. And after that came the real battle: telling Molly the truth about her father. Julian wavered between feeling like he needed to reserve his energy for that fight or spend it now to ensure that what may be his final days with Alexis were happy ones. Depending on the day, the depth of the hole he dug for himself seemed either surmountable or daunting.<p>

He snapped out of his reverie to realize he was still standing in the hallway. Unwilling to risk waking Danny, Julian pulled out his keys and entered the apartment to start setting up breakfast. His girls would be down soon, and they would be hungry.

He had just placed the bags on the table when he heard a familiar voice call out "Sam?" Julian froze and looked at his watch. It was nine o'clock—why was Molly home? He heard her bounce down the stairs and steeled himself as she turned to head to the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him. Her eyes were swollen and she put her hands on her hips. "How did you get in here?"

Concerned by the signs she'd obviously been crying, he took an ill-advised step forward. "Molly are you ok?"

-"I asked you a question. How did you get in here?"

Julian started to stumble. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd be in school. I brought breakfast—I do that when Sam and I are about to head out."

-"Sam's not here."

-"Where is she?"

-"She's on her way back."

-"From where?"

A tear escaped from her eye, an early signal that a dam was about to break. "Look. I know you care about Sam and my mother. And I've tried to be civil for Sam's sake because she needs your help and support. But I cannot be civil right now, so I'd appreciate it if you would leave."

-"Molly, I know you don't like me very much. But I'm very worried about Sam, Alexis, and yes—you. What can I do?"

-"You can leave."

-"Not until I'm sure you're ok."

Molly felt the pressure welling in her throat. She was going to lose it any second, and she didn't want to lose it in front of Julian. She refused to take comfort from the man who had taken her father away from her. He had blood on his hands and she would never embrace him. In order to hasten her own exit, she surrendered. "Sam's due home any minute. Patrick's isn't that far. You can wait for her here; I have to pack."

-"OK, whatever you want." He threw up his hands in surrender before asking quietly, "Molly, can I talk to your Mom?"

She started up the stairs. "She's not here."

-"Where is she? Is she OK?"

-"She's in Miami."

* * *

><p>It was so bright it hurt. Alexis sat in the chair of the waiting room, wincing. She was waiting for her traveling companions to return with coffee. They'd been up for most of the night, and were in that awful purgatory where all you can do is wait. The doctors had advised that they 'get some rest,' but how can you shut your eyes to sleep—let alone relax—when you are waiting for news but dreading it's arrival? Alexis stood up and started pacing again.<p>

She hated hospitals, and she'd been in them enough. She'd received good news and unbearable news, and she understood the rhythms of both. The way the doctors spoke to you, the degrees of pity in the nurses' eyes, the way you—the patient or family member—carried yourself. Alexis was a worrier by nature, but the heavy weight she felt cut through the smell of antiseptic and the distorted sounds of conversations around her. She'd had to send them for coffee because she knew she'd need a few moments alone to wallow in the worst-case scenario and steel herself for whatever battles she'd have to fight across the day.

-"Alexis!" The strangled cry came from across the lobby. Alexis had wanted more time, but it didn't seem as though she was going to get any. She approached the distraught woman, and opened her arms. "How is he, Alexis? How's my boy?"

-"He's still in surgery. But it's not good, Laura."

* * *

><p>Sam got Emma dressed and her breakfast on the table when Anna came to relieve her. The Quartermaine plane wouldn't be ready to take off again until 10:30, so that gave her time to get back to the penthouse, pick up Molly and drop Danny off with Grandma Monica on their way to the airport. As she left the Drake household, Anna started to say something but held her tongue. Sam looked at her expectantly, but Anna appeared to shake off her original thought and said, "Please give my best to Nikolas. He is dear to Robin and he's dear to me." Sam nodded and headed out the door.<p>

The drive to the penthouse was a blur. She was wired yet desperately needed coffee to avoid a crash. Hopefully, Molly had started a pot. Sam burst into the front door and found Julian sitting on the couch, scrolling through TV channels.

-"Julian! What are you doing here? Did Mom call you?"

-"No, Sam. We were supposed to meet this morning—"

-"Oh my God. I'm so sorry. Everything this morning is insane."

-"Sam, what's going on? Why is your mother in Miami? Why is Molly crying?" He paused. "And why are you about to?"

The tears started flowing down her cheeks. "It's Nikolas. He was in some kind of weird accident." A sob escaped Sam. "They called last night and Mom flew down to the hospital he's in. She took Patrick and Lulu with her, and it's been crazy trying to make sure Emma and Rocco and…" she trailed off into a crying jag.

Julian rubbed her back, waiting for her to finish.

-"…and Spencer are all covered. Oh my God, Dad. Nikolas is all Spencer has."

He pulled his daughter into his arms as she sobbed into his shoulder. Julian had no idea what happened to Nikolas, but he was quickly getting the sense the situation was dire. As her sobbing started to slow down and get quiet, Julian whispered, "What can I do?"

-"Nothing. There's nothing you can do. Mom went into full Cassadine mode last night. She got Lulu and then the three of us went to Patrick's so they could drag him to Miami with them. I've been with Emma until Anna could get to the house. Olivia stayed with Rocco and Dante went to Wyndemere to stay with Spencer. Mom even got a plane to get Laura to Miami ASAP."

-"Laura?"

-"Nikolas's mother. Laura Spencer."

Julian nodded slightly at the name. He had forgotten how intertwined the people of Port Charles were: case in point, Alexis's nephew was the stepson of Luke Spencer. Only at moments of great joy or—more usually—great sorrow did those connections seem to resurface.

-"Can I get you and Molly to the airport? Can I come with you?"

Sam paused. The thought of having Julian with her was a luxury that could only be afforded at Molly's expense. "If you can come to Miami, Julian—that would be great. But…"

-"But Molly."

-"And honestly? Maybe my Mom, too. I don't know where you stand right now. But Dad…Nikolas?…it sounds *really, really* bad. If anything happens to him, I'll be gutted. But my mother?" Sam put her head in her hands and made a decision. "Yes. You should come to Miami. But no, you shouldn't be on the plane with us. We're staying at the Marriott. I'll text you the info."

Julian gently pushed her hair behind her ear. She looked so much like her mother sometimes; it made him stop for a second to take it in. "I'll book a flight early this afternoon. What can I do now?"

-"Can you put on some coffee while I go pack?"

-"I can do you one better." Julian pointed to the lattes and bagels on the table. Sam felt her lip trembling as she threw her arms around his neck.

-"Thank you, Daddy."


	24. Chapter 24

-"Tell me exactly what happened, Alexis." Laura sat next to Alexis in a corner of the waiting room that afforded them some level of privacy. The armrest created a wall between them that was breached by the grasp Laura had of Alexis's arm. Connected, yet distant: a summation of their relationship.

Alexis took a deep breath before she relayed the events of the previous 13 hours or so. "I got a phone call at about 1 am from the hospital here."

-"Why did they call you? Why not me or Lulu or Lucky?"

-"I'm assuming it's because I'm his medical proxy."

-"I don't understand. Why are you his medical proxy? I know you're close but…" Her eyes were wide with confusion.

Alexis silently cursed her nephew for not having had this conversation with his immediate family. "We decided to select each other as proxies after we both survived cancer. We had very clear ideas on what we wanted, and we promised each other to follow through."

Laura glared at her. "OK. So great. They called you. What did they want?"

-"They were looking for permission to operate. I asked them about a second opinion, but they told me there was no time. So I told them to go ahead."

-"But how did this happen?"

-"According to his team he was in Havana finishing a deal. They weren't supposed to stop in Cuba, but I guess he thought he could wrap it up on the way back from South America. His team said he slipped on some steps and hit his head."

-"Why didn't they take him to a hospital?" Laura's bewilderment at her son's injury was slowly evolving into finding those responsible for it.

Alexis sighed in frustration. "I don't know. His bodyguard, Dmitri, said he was fine. He was joking and shrugged off any medical assistance. And then they got on the plane. He read the paper for a bit and then they took out the cards to play some poker. Dmitri said they had just taken off when his speech started to slur and he complained of a headache. And then he passed out. So they diverted from Port Charles to Miami because they were so close. He's been in surgery since."

Laura was deathly quiet as she processed the information and slowly removed her hand from Alexis. "You bastards. Your family did this."

-"I don't know that that's true." Alexis had known that accusation was coming; it just arrived faster than she thought.

Laura practically spat at her. "You Cassadines and your vendettas. You kill people for sport. Anything for power. My son had a target on his back the day he became your prince. How many times has his own family tried—"

-"Mom?" Lulu's arrival stopped Laura mid-rant. She ran and hugged her mother. The two put their heads together and had a few quiet moments, exchanging information on Lucky's whereabouts and Lesley's trip to Port Charles, where she would look after her great-grandson.

Not wanting to intrude on the Spencer reunion, Patrick walked to Alexis and extended her the coffee he was holding. "It's a latte, but it's from the vending machine, so…"

-"Don't get my hopes up?" she joked feebly as she wiped an errant tear from her cheek.

Patrick looked at her grimly. "I know this is hard, Alexis. But you need to stay positive."

Alexis looked at him and recognized the face she saw not after Kristina's surgery, but after Rafe's. "He's not going to be OK, is he?"

The doctor ignored her question as he rubbed her upper back. "When does Sam get here?"

-"Another hour, maybe?"

Laura approached the duo, having restrained herself after her outburst. "Patrick, thank you for coming. For leaving your family and job so suddenly."

-"It's not a problem at all. Nikolas and I have been through a lot together. Of course I would be here."

-"Is there anything you can tell me about my son? Anything at all?"

Patrick shifted and appeared uncomfortable. "I really think you should wait until you talk to his surgeon."

-"But you know something?" Laura pressed.

-"I'm not in the operating room. I don't know what they've found. Anything I can tell you now is pure speculation."

Lulu jumped in, "But you can tell us why they operated, right?"

-"As they told Alexis, Nikolas has had a brain bleed. It was creating pressure in his skull as it pressed against his brain. They needed to operate immediately to stop the bleed and release the pressure in his head."

-"OK. So what is the survival rate?" Laura asked. "What are the chances of brain damage?"

Patrick raised his hands, "I wish I could tell you, but I can't. It will depend on where the bleed is, the amount of pressure that was on his brain and how quickly they could remedy it. Laura, every case like this is different." He paused. "Is it very serious? Yes. Should you lose hope? No. If treated in time, people make full recoveries."

Laura fell to the chair and started crying. Lulu sat next to her and wrapped her arm around her mother in consolation. Alexis felt like she didn't belong—like she was somehow partially responsible for shattering the Spencers' world by virtue of being a Cassadine. Even though intellectually she knew it was ridiculous, the guilt was choking her. She turned on her heels and walked outside the doors to get some air.

* * *

><p>Sam and Molly saw their mother on a shaded bench outside as they approached the hospital entrance. She was wearing sunglasses and appeared focused on a shrub about ten feet away; that or she was zoning out completely.<p>

-"Mom," Molly said gently.

Alexis turned to face Molly, and wiped her cheek as she did so. "Hey Molls." She scooted towards the center of the bench and patted her hands on either side of her, guiding her daughters to their seats.

-"How is he, Mom?" The trepidation Sam felt was obvious in her voice. Once she and Molly boarded the Quartermaine plane, she finally had the time to process what little she knew about Nikolas's status. She had sat quietly and felt herself starting to tear up when she heard the sniffling next to her. Molly was wrecked—Ric, Rafe and the lake house gone, and now Nikolas hurt—and Sam determined to put on a brave face for her sister. But now that she was with her mother, who had tucked her daughters into her shoulders, Sam felt the freedom to crumble if she needed to.

-"He's still in surgery, Sam. I don't think it's good, but I'm going to stay hopeful." Molly let out a little sob. "Oh, baby," Alexis cooed. "If you need to let it out, do it here."

Molly buried her face in Alexis's shoulder and cried. Her tears served as the catalyst, and soon the three women were huddled on the bench weeping. Alexis finally raised her head, ordering "OK. Two more minutes to get it out. We need to go back inside to get an update on Nikolas, and I don't want us falling apart in front of the Spencers."

Sam froze for a moment, "Spencers?"

-"Lulu and Laura. They're both inside."

-"Lucky?"

-"I think they're having a hard time locating him. The jet's ready once we know where to send it."

Sam nodded her head. Molly whipped out the box of tissues she had stolen from Sam's penthouse bathroom and shoved in her bag. Looking at her mother's face, she shrugged. "What? I knew we would need them and we didn't have a lot of time."

Alexis nodded. The three rose, inspected each other to eliminate signs of distress and walked inside the hospital.

* * *

><p>The group spent another 45-minutes in the waiting area before the doctor emerged to speak to Alexis, Laura and Patrick. "You're all family?" Laura looked at Patrick and appeared to decide that lying was easier than explaining. She nodded, and he proceeded. The details were technical and the women in front of him pressed for answers, as Patrick stayed silent.<p>

Sam, Lulu and Molly sat rapt, out of earshot but looking for clues in the reactions of their mothers as the expressionless doctor provided Nikolas's status. Alexis was stone-faced as Laura grabbed her forearm and squeezed. Laura's back shook as she hugged her former sister-in-law. The doctor walked away, as Laura and Alexis whispered to each other and Patrick stood a few steps away to give them some semblance of privacy.

Alexis noted that the girls all looked petrified as she and Laura approached. Laura started to talk, but a sob came out instead. Lulu went in to give her mother a hug. Alexis gave Patrick a pleading look, and he turned to face the women.

-"Nikolas had a bleed in his brain and the surgeon needed to do two things in the surgery: remove a piece of his skull to relieve the pressure on his brain and to stop the bleed. He was able to do both. Unfortunately, by the time Nikolas made it to the OR, his brain had already suffered a tremendous amount of damage."

-"Oh my, God, is he dead?" Molly cried.

Laura's head shot up. "No. He's not dead. He's still alive. We need to get a better neurosurgeon. Patrick, can you look at him? If we fly to General Hospital, you can take him on as your patient."

-"I can't—"

-"Why not?" Laura snapped.

Alexis stepped I and said soothingly, "Laura, Patrick isn't a doctor at GH anymore. He can't take any patients there."

-"So do something about it, Alexis. Doesn't your family basically own the hospital? Nikolas was a member of the board. You should be able to put pressure on them to have Patrick treat him."

-"Of course." Alexis hoped to placate Laura with her promise. "Let me get on the phone and see what I can do."

Lulu looked at her mother. "So there's a chance. We still have hope, Mom." Sam watched as Alexis turned and caught Patrick's eye as she went to start her phone calls. And that's when Sam knew that all hope was gone.

* * *

><p>Sam and Molly approached a frustrated Alexis as she stood with her phone to her ear. "I understand. Look, we have a CFO that can easily look over those papers." The girls exchanged looks. "Can I call you tonight then? We have a fairly basic succession plan in case of emergencies. If Nikolas and I are indisposed, then John is the final word." Alexis realized her daughters were standing in front of her. "Fine. Then set up the conference call and send me the dial-in information…I can join in two hours…I'll call from my cell phone…I have to run now…OK…Bye."<p>

Molly looked at her mother, "What was that?"

-"The Cassadine Industries CEO is in a hospital bed, and the natives are restless. Unfortunately, business doesn't stop, so they're looking for direction." She handed Molly her phone. "See? 14 voicemails. My phone has only been off for one hour."

-"Can't you find someone to take those calls for you?" Sam asked.

-"I wish, hon. Unfortunately, I'm the only Cassadine who can field a phone call right now and I'm the family attorney."

-"You're not the only Cassadine," Molly interjected.

She stared at her daughter blankly. Molly responded, "Uncle Victor."

Alexis was stunned that for a few moments she had forgotten Victor existed. "Molly, I appreciate that he's a nice man, but I'm not giving him authority to make decisions on behalf of the company. Besides, I don't even know where he is right now."

-"New York."

-"How do you know that?"

-"I called him this morning to tell him about Nikolas."

-"Molly, you didn't tell him to come here did you?"

Molly looked at her mother quizzically, "Of course I did. But he thought he should stay away for the time being. Why wouldn't you want him here? Nikolas is his nephew, Mom. He loved Nikolas."

Alexis sighed, remembering that Molly didn't understand fully the hatred between Spencer and Cassadine. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, sweetheart. Of course you'd tell him. It's just that there's a lot of bad blood between Laura and Victor, and this day is devastating enough without having to worry about those two confronting each other."

Sam looked from her mother to her sister. "OK. Mom. What can we do?"

-"Nothing." Alexis looked at Molly's face and felt bad that she'd been short with her. As a conciliatory gesture, she said, "I'm going to start by calling Victor and letting him know Nikolas's status. Then I'm calling the hospital to get Patrick reinstated so we can move Nikolas to Port Charles for more treatment."

-"Molly and I will go back to the hotel. I know I could use a nap. I'm exhausted."

-"I am, too," Molly echoed. "But I'm not sure how I can sleep."

Sam turned to her sister. "Can you look into calling a cab for us?" Molly nodded in assent and moved under a tree to cut the glare on her phone's screen. When Sam was convinced Molly was far enough away, she turned to Alexis and whispered. "I have to tell you something. And please, Mom. Don't kill me."

-"Oh God, Sam. What have you done?"

-"I may have told Julian where you are."

Alexis smiled in relief. "You may have or you did?" Sam looked sheepish. "It's fine, Sam. I'm not hiding from Julian. It's not a problem if he knows about Nikolas or where we are."

-"Good. I'm glad you're OK about it."

-"You're being so strange. Why wouldn't I be?"

Sam smiled. "I guess you're right." She looked at Molly who held up two fingers, indicating the number of minutes until the cab arrived. "Oh, and Mom. I just think you should probably also know that…um…"

Her mother's eyes narrowed. Alexis knew Sam was gearing up to share some unwelcome news. "Spit it out, Sam."

-"Julian knows where you are. And he's here."

-"What? Where is he?"

-"He's here. In Miami. And…" She looked at her watch, noting the time. "…he's probably checked into the Marriott by now."

-"Dammit, Sam."

Molly walked over to give her mother a kiss goodbye. Alexis promised to call them when she was back in her room. The three women hugged and separated.

* * *

><p>-"Hello, Victor. This is Alexis."<p>

-"Alexis. How are you? How is Nikolas? I've been so worried."

-"I know, Uncle. I'm so sorry I didn't call you earlier. I know Molly told you, and we've been waiting on news after the surgery."

-"How is the news, Alexis?"

-"It's not good. We're going to take him back to Port Charles, for a second opinion." She added under her breath, "Well, we are if we can get permission for the doctor to look at him."

-"Sorry, Alexis. I didn't catch that last part."

-"Oh, it's nothing. I just have to get GH to reinstate this surgeon so I can have him treat Nikolas. It's my next phone call. Well it is if I can get off the phone long enough to make it."

-"Alexis, what can I do? I would come but…" His voice trailed off.

-"Laura is here. So your instincts are correct. The best thing you could do for me right now is to stay away. The last thing I need right now is Laura focusing her attention on the Cassadine hatred as opposed to Nikolas." Her phone beeped. "Shit. I'm sorry, Uncle. I've got to run—it's another call from Cassadine Industries."

-"Alexis, before you get off the phone, maybe I can try?"

-"Try what?"

-"You've got your hands full with so much. Why don't you let me take a crack at the hospital? It sounds like it entails making threats and generally throwing the Cassadine weight around."

Alexis thought about his characterization for a moment before responding with a "Yes."

-"Well, my dear, I happen to be extraordinarily gifted in both areas. Let me have a shot. The worst that can happen is that you have to call anyway. The best is that I've solved the problem for you and you can focus on other things."

She couldn't see any fault with his logic. "You're right. Thank you, Uncle. I appreciate it."

-"What is the doctor's name again?"

-"Patrick Drake"

-"Alright. You focus on our boy, Alexis. I will focus on getting Dr. Drake back in the operating room."

-"Thank you again. If I don't answer the phone, just leave me a voicemail letting me know the outcome."

-"And Alexis, one more thing: take care of yourself, my dear. Sadly, it sounds like the hard part hasn't really begun yet."


	25. Chapter 25

Alexis arrived back at the hotel after a grueling afternoon of juggling Cassadine business concerns, the needs of her daughters and Laura's occasional hysteria. The one surprising bright spot was that Victor somehow managed to get Patrick reinstated, and the neurosurgeon had stayed behind to coordinate resources needed to move Nikolas from Miami back to Port Charles. The Spencers refused to leave her nephew's side, so Alexis returned to her hotel to take a breather from Nikolas's other family and join her own.

She approached the day as a list of tasks to cross off the list, suppressing any thoughts of the prince's condition. The mother-daughters' dinner, arranged by Molly, was in a corner of the hotel's restaurant—a steakhouse with a live piano player and dark mood lighting. Alexis approached the table and turned off her phone, noting the four voicemails Julian had left for her as she did. He would have to wait until she was ready. If she was ready. For now, she was preparing herself for dinner with her girls, another to-do on her list.

-"Hey, Mom. How's Nikolas," Molly greeted her mother, quickly kissing her cheek.

-"No change in his condition, baby."

-"Any word on moving him?" Sam had ordered a bottle of cabernet as they waited for her mother, and now she poured Alexis a glass.

Alexis put up her hand. "Whoa, Sam. WHOA." She gave her daughter a look. "I hope we're sharing this."

Sam poured her glass to the rim. "Nope. I've got my own."

Molly watched from her mother to her sister, realizing that if she had any questions she'd better get them in now.

-"Mom, you didn't answer Sam's question. Are we going to be able to move Nikolas?"

-"Yes we are, sweetie. Thanks to you."

- "Why? What did Molly do?" Sam asked.

-"She made me call Victor, who offered to try and work GH to get Patrick back on staff. And it worked. Pretty amazing really." Alexis went quiet as she mulled it over, eventually breaking her own train of thought. "Well, however it happened, the move is happening. Patrick is coordinating the equipment we'll need to transfer Nikolas. Hopefully in the next couple of days after he stabilizes."

-"How's Laura doing?" Molly asked. "It must be so hard for her and Lulu and Lucky. I mean, it's hard for me with Nikolas but if anything happened to you, Sam, or Kristina?" A tear started down Molly's cheek, and she wiped it away looking surreptitiously around the restaurant to see if anyone caught it.

Alexis put her napkin on the table. "Nope."

Sam looked at her, "What? What do you mean 'nope'?"

-"This isn't going to work. What are you girls planning on ordering?" Sam and Molly looked at each other and gave their mother their preferences. "OK. Hold the fort. I'll be right back."

The maître d greeted Alexis, and as her daughters watched in the dim light, his warm smile descended into a grimace before evolving into a wide smile devoid of any sincerity. He returned to the table with her and removed the wine bottle and everyone's drinks. "C'mon girls," Alexis said. "We're going."

Molly protested, "Mom, I'm hungry."

-"Yeah, Mom. Stay," Sam implored. "The food here is supposed to be really good."

Alexis smiled, "I know. That's why they're going to deliver it to us." She looked at the baffled Davis girl faces. "We've had a rough day, and we could all let that out a little. I'm not going to make us sit in a restaurant where people can stare at us in our grief. Not when I've got a perfectly good suite upstairs with a balcony overlooking the ocean."

A waiter returned with four large cups in a carrier. Alexis tipped him and led the girls out of the restaurant into the hotel lobby. "Where is the food?" Sam asked.

-"I told them to deliver it to our room."

-"I didn't know they delivered."

-"They don't, Molly. I just promised them that if he didn't deliver the food, we'd stay and ruin the ambience with our incessant wailing. Then I told him that our company has a contract with Marriott that I'd be happy to tear up and move to Hilton or Starwood. And voila! They deliver."

Sam smiled, "So what's with the beverages."

-"Our wine. I'm not leaving that behind."

* * *

><p>The three sat on the balcony finishing the last of the chocolate mousse Alexis had ordered as a surprise and their wine. Molly had been shocked when her mother poured her a third of a glass, looking at her questioningly.<p>

-"You're almost 17. We drank this stuff on the island when we were 12. It's a Cassadine tradition. Just make sure you sip it."

Alexis and Sam giggled as Molly took an overly careful first sip. "It feels warm." She took a few moments to process the taste before turning to Alexis. "So, Mom. How bad is Nikolas? Really?" Molly's eyes were wide and there was hesitation when she asked, as if she feared the answer. Sam instinctively moved her chair closer and threw her arm around her.

-"It's not good, Molls." Alexis was stoic and clinical as she shared the doctor's assessment, concluding with, "this trip back to Port Charles…it's because they can't do anything for him here." Molly started crying.

-"It's like Rafe, isn't it?"

-"A little bit. But there's no reason to give up hope, Molly. Miracles sometimes do happen."

Molly looked up at her, "Mom, I'm not a child. You don't have to talk to me like I am one."

Alexis whispered. "I know, baby. Here's the thing: if GH can't help him, we'll have plenty of time to be sad later. But right now, it doesn't hurt to hope. Right?"

-"I guess not."

Molly slept on one side of Alexis's king sized bed, while Sam and her mother huddled on the other.

-"She's asleep, Mom."

-"Hmmph. She liked the wine."

Sam smiled, "We'll see how much she likes it in the morning." She waited a few moments for the silence to sink in before gently grabbing her mother's hand. "He's not going to get better, is he Mom?"

-"It's like I told Molly…"

-"Mom. I'm not Molly. I know he's not getting better. I can see it on your face."

Alexis felt a tear roll down her cheek. "Probably not. But…"

-"But what, Mom?"

-"I have decisions to make and things to do. And if I stop for a second and think of a world without Nikolas I won't be able to."

Sam squeezed her hand, her own eyes wet. "Mom, what decisions or plans outweigh losing Nikolas? You need to prepare yourself for this."

-"His plans and his decisions." She stifled a sob. "I'm his executor. And I'm the only Cassadine left that's here to make sure that Spencer has a normal life."

-"Mom, but all that is later. All that is after…"

-"I know." Alexis paused and wiped a tear. "I'm just not ready yet." She squeezed Sam tighter. "How are you doing?"

She took a few minutes to articulate her thoughts. "When I….when I found out you were my mother and that I had this whole family, Nikolas was the only adult other than you…well, except for maybe you-know-who," she whispered and looked over at her sister out of guilt to ensure she hadn't heard. "I mean, does that make sense? His relationship to you…it was like he was a real sibling. Not that Molly and Krissy aren't—"

-"—they were babies."

-"Right. I couldn't see what a version of you and me looked like when I watched you with them. It wasn't a blueprint for a future relationship, you know? So I watched you sometimes with Nikolas. That's how I first started to really figure out who you were."

-"I never knew that…"

-"Well, it wasn't like I was going to come forward and tell you, Mom. I mean…I couldn't stand you."

Alexis chuckled. "Well, we couldn't all be 'Miss Congeniality,' Sam."

Sam smiled, "It's hard for me to say it's like losing a brother. Because it's not the same as when I lost Danny. But it definitely feels like I'm losing a piece of myself, of our family." She used the heel of her hand to wipe her eyes. "Are you sure about his condition, Mom? Are you really, really sure?"

-"Maybe we should go back to the hope thing for a bit."

* * *

><p>Alexis got up at some point deep in the night to use the bathroom. She came back to find her small, teeny girls had somehow managed to sprawl across her bed. The clock read 2 am, but Alexis was wired. She moved out onto the balcony with her phone and turned it back on to check her messages. Patrick had left one saying they could probably leave in a couple of days. Laura had let her know how to reach her at a hotel closer to the hospital. There were two with assorted business crises, which she quickly skipped, and then she got to Julian: "It's me. I'm in the hotel, room 612. Whenever you need me. I love you."<p>

* * *

><p>Julian sat up realizing that there was a knock on his door. He saw the clock and threw the covers off the bed. He opened the door shirtless, natch, and squinted at the bright light of the hallway. As his eyes adjusted he saw that hers were wide and lost. She was standing ramrod straight, as though trying to be taller would compensate for how small she felt. "Hey," he murmured.<p>

-"Hey," she whispered.

He walked into the hallway and pivoted behind her so he could more easily steer her into the room. Julian shut the door and was putting on the lock when he heard the first sob. He turned to her, and she collapsed into him. He walked her over to the bed, tucking her in before he crawled in on the other side.

-"What can I do for you? What do you need?"

-"I just have to get it out. I can't do it around Sam or Molly, Julian. I can't. They've got their own stuff between Ric and Rafe and the lake house…"

Julian grimaced at her list; were he to trace the origins of each disaster, he would find the seedling to be his arrival in Port Charles. He squeezed her tighter, pulling her flush against his chest. He whispered, "Tell me."

-"I said I would do it, but I don't know if I can."

-"Do what, sweetheart."

-"Turn the machines off."

He paused. "Is it your job to do that?"

-"Yes. I have his medical proxy."

-"OK. Did he tell you what he wanted?"

-"Yes. We talked about it a lot. And I made him put it in a living will."

-"So it's not a fear of making the wrong decision, right? You know what he wants. You can be confident in that."

-"Yes."

-"So what is it then? Is it actually turning them off?"

She started sobbing. "Yes. Julian, he was the second person that ever loved me. Really loved me. My family was so small for so long. I promised Stefan I would take care of him and that I'd protect him. And somehow I let this happen."

Julian tried to sort through her emotions to offer comfort, but he was struggling to follow her monologue. "Honey, this isn't your fault."

-"I missed a threat, Julian. I was busy with my life and I disentangled myself from Nikolas's. He was supposed to get married this summer and Britt had stolen his nephew. And I have maybe seen him twice since then. I promised Stefan I would watch him, and I failed. And now he's in a bed with a brain that doesn't even work anymore. He's already gone, Julian. He was in trouble, and I was just sleeping."

* * *

><p>He woke to find her on the balcony watching the sun rise over the water. She had made some coffee and he found a lukewarm mug waiting for him.<p>

-"Did you sleep at all?" He asked as slid the door shut behind him.

-"A little," she grimaced. "Thank you. I didn't mean to fall apart."

-"Seriously? You're kidding right?"

Alexis sighed. "It's really hard for me to put into words, what Nikolas means to me. And it's probably harder to follow since we really haven't discussed my family much."

-"Other than your step-mother."

-"Right."

Julian studied the rim of the mug. "You know, you said something last night that normally I would let slide. But given how your mother died…"

Alexis looked at him warily. "Yes?"

-"You said something about missing 'a threat.'" He paused and looked at her. "Are you saying you think someone tried to kill Nikolas?"

-"I know that he fell and hit his head. And I know that with his history of the tumor and the poison he was given—"

-"—your family poisoned him?" Julian asked incredulously.

-"No. Jerry Jacks did." Alexis was quiet. "My family has a history of killing to get what they want. He's the prince." She sighed. "I know intellectually it's probably the fall that did this to him. But I can't rationally accept that Nikolas is lying in a hospital bed with barely any brain function because the soles of his shoes were too slippery."

-"Are you saying you'd feel better if someone murdered him?"

She looked at him sadly. "No. I'm saying that I understand murder and dying violently. But I'm completely unfamiliar with people dying naturally or by accident. I don't really know how that feels." Alexis closed her eyes as she tried to articulate for him what she was feeling. Her eyes opened and she asked him imploringly, "Where are you supposed to target your anger?"

Julian grabbed her hand and kissed it. He looked at Alexis and wondered if Ava was right. Did he really know enough about the woman he loved?


	26. Chapter 26

The day before Nikolas and his family left for Port Charles, Alexis received a call from Anna letting her know that the PCPD had a warrant for the surveillance cameras and any recordings that existed. After reviewing the scanned copy sent via email, she tasked Diane with supervision of the evidence hand-off. Alexis then sent Julian back to Port Charles with a single instruction: "we need an actual alibi." It was apparent that there would be no break from Sam's case while Nikolas hovered between life and death.

Once Nikolas was ensconced in the hospital he helped oversee, the full Spencer clan converged to see their brother, son and grandson. Their namesake had yet to see his father and the topic was a matter of intense debate. Alexis—aware of the custodial arrangements her nephew had left for Spencer—deferred to Lulu on all questions regarding the heir. Unfortunately, Lulu and her mother were not on the same page. Laura had wanted to wait until Nikolas was more receptive to stimuli; her daughter, however, had begun the process of acknowledging what her mother had not: that day was never going to arrive.

Things were difficult for Patrick, as well. He faced two essential truths and two women who each doubted a different one. The first was Nikolas's prognosis—he was essentially brain dead. The little activity that registered was incapable of keeping his body alive, but Laura insisted that there had to be options. Patrick reviewed the charts, read the literature, and identified a procedure that could maybe have a one in a kajillion chance of success. The announcement of the surgery and the grim prospects that accompanied it served as the writing on the wall for all but Laura, who saw it as a ray of hope.

The second issue was the source of Nikolas's injury: it was obvious that the fall he sustained in Havana caused the rupture. Patrick walked a skeptical Alexis through the injury, railing off famous cases of those who had suffered similar fates. He even had the benefit of a local newscast that captured what at the time seemed like a case of mortification destined for youtube popularity. Yet in spite of the overwhelming evidence, Alexis leveraged her professional mantra of 'reasonable doubt' to uncover any possible Cassadine conspiracy. This meant Patrick was running toxicology reports in case any poison could have caused the bleed. And just when he thought he had ruled out every toxin possible, Robin managed to put down her microscope for five seconds to provide him with a whole list of other candidates he hadn't considered. The length and depth of the list—which was accompanied by methods to test for each, both on a live subject and post-mortem—did little but provide Patrick with additional work, as thus far all had turned up negative. Sam made it a point of apologizing to Patrick, half-hearted though it was. "I know this is rough," she told him, "but they all need to be together on this. They all need to be OK and in agreement with whatever happens to Nikolas for Spencer's sake."

* * *

><p>-"I'm sorry. We knew the surgery was a huge long-shot, and we weren't able to restore any functionality." Patrick once again detailed Nikolas's current medical prognosis and prospects. The grim faces and muffled sobs served as confirmation that the room understood the implications.<p>

Alexis asked quietly, "So what decisions do we need to make, Patrick?"

Patrick outlined the options for Nikolas's continued care, as Alexis surreptitiously looked at Laura to gauge her reaction. It would be relatively easier if Laura didn't fight her, but she was prepared to do follow through on her nephew's directive regardless. The doctor was finished talking, and the room was quiet before Alexis spoke up, "Thank you, Patrick. For all you've done for Nikolas—for us. I guess…I guess we have some things to discuss."

Patrick exited, leaving Laura, Lulu, Lucky and Alexis in the conference room.

-"I think you should leave, too," Laura pointedly told Alexis.

Lulu put her hand on her mother's shoulder, "Mom."

-"She's not his immediate family." She turned to Alexis, "I know that you meant a lot to Nikolas and that he meant a lot to you. But your family has made many decisions about his life. And you don't get to make them now. About his death."

Alexis stared blankly, her throat dry. She walked to the sideboard and grabbed a bottle of water, hoping the few sips would give her the time she needed to collect herself.

Lucky interjected, "Mom, it's not like that. You know that. Alexis knows what Nikolas wanted. And not just because she's his lawyer."

-"I just don't want Cassadines making decisions for Nikolas anymore. Or for Spencer."

-"Nikolas is a Cassadine, Laura." Alexis looked at her sympathetically. "I know you wish he wasn't. But he is. As is Spencer. And Nikolas made provisions bearing that in mind."

-"If you think for three seconds I'm going to let my grandson anywhere near your family, you're insane." Laura's voice was getting higher. "After what they did to me and my son. And of *all* people, you should know what that family does to orphaned children, Alexis. Sorry. 'Natasha.'"

Lulu cut her off. "Mom. Enough." She moved closer to Alexis and guided her to a corner of the room as Laura turned to Lucky and started sobbing hysterically. "Look," she whispered. "I know this is hard on you. My mother knows it, too. We just need some time with her to talk her through it." Her voice tightened. "I know he's not coming back."

Alexis nodded and wiped the tear that was falling down her cheek. Without saying a word, she opened the door and proceeded to walk down the hallway.

* * *

><p>-"Mom? Mom!" Sam tried to get her mother's attention, but Alexis was either ignoring her or couldn't hear her. She marched down the hallway as quickly as possible and was turning into the stairwell by the time Sam got up to chase her down. She finally caught up to Alexis on the roof, where she was crying. Sam approached her and gently rubbed her back. "Oh, Mom," she said softly.<p>

-"I'm OK," she sobbed.

-"You're not very convincing." Sam's attempt to infuse levity fell flat to her own ears, so she kept rubbing her mother's back until her breathing steadied. "I could ask you what's going on, but I think we all know. So what is it specifically that's driving you to the rooftop?"

Alexis sighed. "When Nikolas and I…when we made this deal with each other…or medical proxies? I just assumed I was going first. I mean, I think he probably did, too. I'm older…my cancer had been more aggressive than his. It was all very easy and simple on paper. But now…God, Sam."

-"I know, Mom. It's hard to lose him. It hurts so much."

-"But it's not just that. I have to turn off these machines, Sam. It's what he wanted. And it's hard enough without having to fight, you know?"

-"Who are you fighting?"

-"Laura." Alexis played with the hem of her sleeve. "I can't even blame her. I mean, if it were you lying there, Sam. I couldn't do it. Having you ripped out of my arms again? After all that time apart? I empathize with Laura, but she's making this so much harder."

Sam looked at her, "All you can do is what Nikolas asked. She'll come around in time, Mom. I know you want to be sensitive to her, but you need to think about what Nikolas wanted."

-"But I have to be sensitive to her, Sam. There's Spencer to think of. He's a Cassadine, and she hates us. Right now probably more than she ever did. But he's the heir and he can't separate from the family entirely. And Nikolas didn't mean for it to happen. I just can't have a big custody fight right now over him."

-"Mom, it won't come to that. It won't. Lulu and Lucky won't keep him from you, and you're really the last Cassadine left. They know you'll look out for him."

-"Sam…Laura and I are not really close. She sees me as a Cassadine, not as someone who got away. Laura was so desperate to leave the island, she couldn't conceive of anyone ever staying unless they were loyal to my family. But Stefan…and later Nikolas…they were all I had. Where was I going to go? Laura had Luke and a family and friends. I had Stefan. And after *everything* that's happened between me and Stefan and Luke and Helena and Nikolas…" she trailed off and stared off into space.

The confessional from her mother was such a rare occurrence, Sam was nervous of any action that would stop the flow that seemed without end. Alexis finally broke her own silence. "That she thinks I would let anyone in that family take him. That she thinks I'd let an orphaned child be raised by any of those monsters. It's absurd."

-"Mom, they're all dead."

-"That's just it, Sam. She's not afraid of Helena or Stavros or Mikkos or even Stefan—they're gone. Do you know she hasn't even mentioned Victor once? I was so petrified she'd find out he was here, but she could care less. No, Sam the only person left for Laura to be afraid of is standing right here. She's afraid of me."

-"Then she's an idiot, Mom."

* * *

><p>Julian was cruising back to Port Charles empty handed yet again. The potential alibi for Sam fell through, and he had to pull his car over to get out his frustration. His initial instinct was to take a swing at something, but the rather thick tree trunks would provide little give for the delicate bones in his hand. He ended up throwing rocks as hard as he could at them instead, screaming an expletive or two as he did so. The initial pitches were controlled but quickly devolved into a frenzy, and after 20 minutes of blindly hurling anything he could find Julian was kneeling in the grass, his body equally sweaty and exhausted. He looked at his car and again thought about driving and not stopping. But the ties that bound him to Port Charles had become a Gordian knot that he had not interest in severing.<p>

He slowly made his way to his car, and saw a missed call from an unknown number. The tension quickly returned as he waited the requisite seven minutes for it to ring again, although he silently hoped it wouldn't. Julian picked it up on the first try.

-"It's me."

-"Where have you been?"

-"Driving. Sorry I didn't hear the ring."

He heard a sigh of frustration on the other end. "Well maybe you should turn down the ACDC or Bachman Turner Overdrive or whatever the hell you're listening to." Julian waited silently for the sarcasm portion of the call to conclude. Richter plowed on, "Where the hell are you anyway?"

-"About an hour outside of Port Charles."

-"I'm not paying you to gallivant about the country side. I want you in the city overseeing our art shipments. We have some new work coming in by a hot young artist, and I expect you to be overseeing the delivery."

Julian grimaced. "Of course. I'll be back in the gallery in about 90 minutes."

-"Great. And after you see that shipment, I need you to check out a new artist."

-"Really? I couldn't be more excited. Where is he located?"

-"Hot young talent. From Manila. I need you to book a flight tonight to meet with him."

He closed his eyes quietly and stifled the urge to tell his boss what he thought of the proposition. Instead he offered, "Are you sure you need me there? I want to make sure the latest exhibit is off the ground."

-"Yes. I'm sure. I'll be joining you in fact at the end of the week. We also have an investor interested in our expanding our gallery to the west coast."

Julian stopped for a moment, "Wait. How long will I be gone?"

-"About a week. I'm assuming this isn't a problem."

-"It's not that it's a problem, it's just that—"

-"Look. I don't want to hear it. Let's just say if you do this for me, there's a bonus you can look forward to when you return."

All the tension within Julian's body dissipated. He was quiet for a few minutes as his veins quickly switched to ice. Alexis had been right all along. "Of course. I'll let you know my flight information later. I look forward to seeing you…it's been too long."

-"Sure it has," Richter scoffed before he hung up abruptly.

Julian ended the call and got back into his car, heading straight for the gallery. And along the way, he plotted the best way to kill the man impersonating Luke Spencer.

* * *

><p>He found her in the hospital cafeteria. She sat alone with a cup of coffee, her body hovering over it as though she was protecting it from an unseen threat. Julian's breath caught in his throat. How could he leave her now?<p>

The loss of light drew her eyes to the body that cast a shadow across the table. "Julian?" she asked in shock. "Why are you here?"

-"You're here," he smirked.

Alexis shook off the surprise. "No. I'm sorry. I meant I thought you were working on an alibi?" She paused before she asked hopefully, "but if you're here, you must have found one?"

He looked sheepish and glanced around the densely populated cafeteria. "Is there somewhere we can go…to talk?"

-"Sure." She gathered her things and led him through the maze of tables out of the cafeteria and towards the elevator. They waited in silence for the car and took it up to the fifth floor. Alexis exited and took him to a small closet off next to one of the bigger offices. "OK." She nodded, all business. "Tell me what we have."

-"I can tell you what we don't have: an alibi."

Tears welled in her eyes and she yelled, "Dammit." She took a minute to control her breathing before she looked up at him. "So why do we need privacy? Why are we here?"

-"Because I heard from my boss."

She glanced nervously around the closet, as though he could somehow overhear them in this unfamiliar setting. "OK. What did he have to say for himself?"

-"He was his usual self: sarcastic, threatening, demanding. A total asshole, really."

Alexis allowed herself a tight smile. "So what did he want?"

-"He needs me abroad for about a week."

Her face shot up to look directly in his eyes. "When?"

-"Tonight."

Alexis felt a wave come over her. Her breathing became labored and she managed to get out, "Did he…did he say anything about Sam?"

Julian pulled up her face to his and put her hand on his chest. "Breathe with me." He took long, slow breaths, trying to draw the panic out of her that was leaving her intake of air somewhat erratic. When he was satisfied she wasn't going to hyperventilate, he answered her question. "He didn't say anything about Sam…in so many words."

-"What did he say?"

-"That it was a big deal for a new investor. That he was going and wanted me there anyway. And I'd get my reward when I returned to Port Charles."

-"What does that even mean, Julian?

-"It means I'm probably going to have to kill some people, Alexis. That when we return he'll give me what he's been hanging over my head. Sam's gun."

-"But he didn't say that?"

Julian sighed. "He doesn't have to. This is the way he works. It's a loyalty test for me. He's got me doing some pretty seedy shit in a place where everything ends for me if I screw it up." He decided to leave off the part that there was a fairly decent chance he'd end up with a bullet in his head anyway.

Alexis's eyes grew panicked. "Julian, what happens if you screw it up?"

-"I won't." He took her face in his hands again. "Sweetheart, I won't. I know the rules and I know Richter. I'll be fine."

-"What if you're not? What if you don't come back?"

-"OK. Let's say I don't come back. Go see Ava."

-"Why?"

-"Cause she knows where the bodies are buried…in a manner of speaking."

-"I don't know if I can do this."

-"You can, Alexis. This time next week, we'll all be eating at an amazing steakhouse toasting Sam's freedom. I promise you this. I won't fuck this up." He pulled her into a kiss. She was warm and needy and his head started to spin.

Alexis whispered, "I love you. I do, Julian."

-"Then trust me."

-"I do. I don't doubt you for a second. It's Richter I don't trust."

He kissed her again. "I love you. And I will be back. I promise."

-"When do you have to be at the airport?"

-"In about 30 minutes."

-"Can we just stay here? Until you have to go?"

Julian pulled her to him and nestled his face in her hair. "Of course."


	27. Chapter 27

She returned to the penthouse late afternoon, ostensibly to sleep, but Alexis was incapable of quieting the voices and questions in her head. An hour's worth of tossing and turning ended when Victor called, asking her to meet. After rejecting his suggestion of Wyndemere, they agreed on a small Irish pub that was unlikely to be populated by any Spencers.

Victor entered the bar looking a bit out of place in his Saville Row suit. Alexis started to rise to greet him but he put his hand up, "No, my dear. Don't get up." She leaned over to kiss either cheek.

-"I still need to greet my uncle properly." Her attempts to recapture the brightness of their previous meetings fell flat. He reached over and grasped her hand.

-"How are you, Alexis? I know you and Nikolas are close. What can I do?"

Alexis smiled grimly. "Turn back time? Tell Nikolas not to go to Havana?" She noted the sadness on his face, "I'm sorry, Uncle. I don't mean to be flip…it's been a very long few days. And I just…I just…" Alexis shook her head to try and stave off any tears.

-"So there isn't any hope."

-"No," she said quietly. The waitress came by for their order and Alexis ordered a burger.

-"Make that two," Victor added. His niece smiled. "Is something funny?"

-"I'm sorry. I just…it's you and the suits and the smores and the burgers. I feel like you're forced to slum it every time you're in my presence."

- "While I admit I am out of my element and I'd frankly prefer a bone-in ribeye, it is worth it to see that smile. I suspect it hasn't shown itself much lately."

-"It has not." Alexis took a sip of the bourbon she had ordered, taking comfort in the warmth as it moved down her throat.

-"Scotch? I didn't realize you were a big fan."

-"It's bourbon. I never used to drink it but I have a…friend who convinced me of its merits. That's how I found this place, actually. It is one of the few bars in town that serves Elijah Craig."

-"My, my. That is quite a refined palate. I must meet this connoisseur some day."

Alexis took another sip. "That's not very subtle, you know."

-"Was I being coy?" Alexis nodded in response. Victor continued, "I admit that I have heard that you have a special 'friend,' and I've been curious."

-"Well, we're not special anything anymore. He's Sam's father. And a friend."

Victor eyed her for a moment before abruptly changing the topic. "Yes. Well although I still hope to meet the man someday, I will say that Mr. Jerome wasn't actually on the agenda."

-"Good," Alexis replied. "So what is, Uncle? What lures you away from the dark, creepy island?"

-"There are two topics that require some delicacy. I suppose I'll start with the easier one first."

-"OK"

-"Although I've been removed from the family business for some time, I was heavily involved before my…troubles. And although it's been about three decades, I still have some contacts that work for Cassadine Industries."

Alexis started to sit straighter and her eyes narrowed. "Go on."

Perhaps sensing her suspicion, Victor took on a conciliatory tone. "This is not a critique, Alexis, mind you. Look. Nikolas was not a 'hands-off' CEO. That has benefitted our family's interests, but has also left us vulnerable during his…incapacitation."

-"I'm doing the best I can, Uncle."

-"Alexis, of course you are. But caring for Nikolas needs to be your first priority."

-"So what are you proposing? That I hand off control to someone?" Alexis raised her eyebrow. "Perhaps to a trusted family member? Someone who could temporarily run things until I have the time to take care of it?"

-"Don't be ridiculous, Alexandra." Alexis was caught off guard by his abrupt tone. "The only Cassadine you trust is Nikolas. Rest assured, I want no part of Cassadine Industries. My freedom is dear to me, and my interest—no matter how slight—would result in my enemies looking for a way to imprison me again." His voice softened. "I've no interest in being caged, Alexis."

-"I'm sorry, Uncle. Traditionally our motives have less to do with familial affection and more to do with power." She considered him. "I admit, then. I'm at a loss as to what you're proposing."

-"It's very simple really. I'm sure you're being inundated with requests. Allow me to use my contacts to prioritize them in order of importance for you." He smiled. "Think of me as a secretary, bringing the most important matters to your attention."

Alexis thought about his offer for a few minutes before pulling out her phone. "I turn this off now for a good part of the day. I take an hour here or there to not feel the buzzing or hear the dinging as I get a new voicemail or email. It's been off since I got here, maybe 40 minutes ago." She took a sip of her whiskey. "I'll make you a deal. If I have more than 30 new emails and 10 new voicemails then you can be my secretary."

-"That sounds rather arbitrary, but alright. If you think that's a good way to judge."

-"Here we go." Alexis waited for her phone to boot. "No drumroll? Nothing dramatic?" Victor was silent. "OK, then. What do we have? Well it appears I have 22 voicemails and 37 emails. Mr. Cassadine, it looks like you have yourself a job."

-"Hmmm. You're being awfully flip, Alexis. This is serious business. A business your father, your brother and your nephew built."

She sat chastened. "I'm sorry, Uncle. It is hard for me to take anything seriously right now that doesn't involve Nikolas—the person, not the business. If you'd like me to take on a more serious tone, I can. But you may want to prepare yourself for a bout of hysteria."

-"Well, now *I* must apologize, Alexis. I can only imagine this has been hard for you. I know that I can't offer you much comfort, but I am glad you have your daughters to help you…and your friend." He smiled conspiratorially.

Alexis nodded, "Me too."

They sat and ate their burgers in silence. Alexis looked at her Uncle's plate, filled with French fries and the remnants of a hamburger bun. "So," she smiled. "Still wish you had that steak?"

-"Good Lord, yes. How do people eat like this every day?"

-"You did manage to devour the burger, at least."

-"Well, I was famished, dear. And it was passable."

-"Remind me to order you one with bacon, next time."

-"Why must you be vulgar, Alexis?"

Alexis chewed on the end of a French fry. "So. What's the second thing?" Victor was silent. "Come on. You said there were two. Out with it."

-"I'd like to see Nikolas."

She took a slug of her bourbon. "I don't know if that's such a good idea."

-"Please, Alexis. I know it's a problem with Laura. But if there's a way we could do it when she wasn't around. He's been very kind to me, and I'd like to pay my respects."

-"It's not that I'm unwilling. I just don't know if we'll find a time when she leaves, Victor. You have to understand, she is so overwrought right now that the sign of any Cassadine…we're a target for her."

-"That seems quite unfair."

-"It is but I understand her instincts. There's nowhere for her to direct her anger. There's no one to blame. And we're easy, easy targets."

Victor's voice was quiet. "So you believe it was an accident."

-"If I'm really honest with myself, yes. I can't ignore the evidence. But my gut—"

-"What?"

-"My gut tells me there's something wrong. I've ordered as many toxicology tests as I can without draining Nikolas of his blood."

Her uncle nodded. "You should. Keep looking, Alexis. We've always had enemies…especially among ourselves."

* * *

><p>The opportunity to sneak in Victor came later that night. After much discussion, Lulu finally convinced her mother to allow Spencer to see his father. Laura's acquiescence wasn't enough though: Lulu insisted her mother be rested so she would have as much energy as possible to support Spencer. It was midnight when Victor was able to enter and spend time with Nikolas. The goodbye was brief, and Alexis found herself weeping as she watched a preview of what she would face within the next day or so.<p>

They stood outside Nikolas's room and Victor hugged her. The unfamiliar arms were surprisingly comforting and Alexis found herself squeezing her uncle before releasing him. "Thank you, Uncle. Thank you for coming and for helping."

He offered her a handkerchief. "Alexis of course I—"

-"Mom?" A tentative voice from down the hall interrupted their goodbyes.

-"Kristina?" The relief Alexis felt was quickly overcome by sadness as her daughter rushed to her arms and cried. "Shhh, baby. Shhh." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Victor wave; she nodded her head and he walked away.

* * *

><p>The next day was a blur. After consulting with Lulu and Lucky, Alexis made the decision to turn off Nikolas's ventilator the following morning. The hospital became a vigil as friends came in to say their goodbyes to the prince. Spencer's goodbye was the most heartbreaking. Alexis no longer saw a precocious eight-year old; rather, she felt his loneliness across the room. He looked so tiny, so devastated; she absorbed all of it. She hugged him and whispered, "He'll always be in your heart. And you will always be loved and you will never be alone. I promise."<p>

* * *

><p>-"Why didn't you tell me she was this bad?" Kristina snapped.<p>

Sam looked at her sister. "What do you mean, Krissy? I mean, Nikolas is dying…what did you think it would look like?"

Kristina shifted uncomfortably as tears welled in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking it out on you."

-"No. You shouldn't." Sam pulled her sister into a hug. "It's OK, Krissy. We're all devastated."

Kristina broke the embrace and wiped her cheek. "So where is he?"

-"Who?"

-"This father of yours. Molly seems to be under the impression he's lurking about. That he and Mom are still together."

-"I don't know. I think they are…but you know Mom. She's so secretive."

-"She thinks she is anyway. Until you look at her."

Sam nodded. "I'm actually kind of worried. She wasn't doing well before Nik's accident. And this…"

-"I know." Kristina looked down at her hands. "I can't believe he's gone, Sam. It's like losing my brother. My whole life, the only sane constants outside of us were Jax and Nikolas. God, remember when she thought Jax was gone?"

-"That was awful. And she didn't even really believe it, you know? She was still destroyed."

-"So seriously. Where is this father of yours? Where is the man who blew up our house?"

Sam sighed. "Look, I know he's done a lot of shitty things. Please, just meet him before you decide you hate him. Give him a chance?"

Kristina sighed. "It's not like I can judge Sam. Sure your father may have been the cause of the bomb that almost blew you up…but he's already ahead of Sonny because he didn't actually set it."

-"So you're calling him Sonny now?"

-"After what he did to Morgan? Hell yes. Unless I'm with Michael; then it's Dad. I can't deal with another lecture."

-"You know you can stay with us, Kristina. There's room…" Sam smiled. "…sort of."

-"I know. And I will. I figured that now was the time to stay with Michael and catch up. Because as soon as…as Nikolas is gone…it's just…it's going to be nuts." Kristina was silent. "I really wish Jax were here. Even Julian. You know she won't talk to us. She's just going to try and protect us."

-"We'll just need to push her. Push her until she cracks."

-"I feel like this is some weird Davis Girl take on the Cassadines. We're plotting against our own mother."

- "The difference is, we actually love her and want to help."

* * *

><p>The tubes seemed to come from everywhere….his arms, his throat. There was even one coming out by his legs that emptied to a bag covered by a blanket. She looked at him, he was so small. The tan he'd sported across the summer had faded giving him a somewhat sallow appearance, while the growth on his face made him seem wild. As though somehow the coma had set Nikolas free. She picked up his hand, putting her fingers over his wrist to feel his weak pulse.<p>

-"I'm so very, very, very sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you Nikolas." Alexis smoothed his hair off of his forehead. "You were always so small and serious. These big brown eyes that were so curious. It was so easy to make you smile, make you laugh. And then one day you were a man. And you weren't this child anymore…you are my confidante." She bent to kiss his temple and whispered, "Stefan was so proud of you. He would have been even more proud to see you now…how you've led the family. The father you've become…I promise you Nikolas. He'll never feel like we did. He'll never feel abandoned. Or that he wasn't loved. He'll have a choice to be whatever he wants to be. I promise Nikolas."

* * *

><p>The sunlight hit her face as she emerged through the automatic doors. It had been over 36 hours since she had been anywhere that wasn't the fifth floor of GH. She wouldn't be back again. The colors outside seemed muted, and she felt as though she were moving in slow motion. Traversing the parking lot felt like crossing a busy highway. She heard a tinny laugh, and part of a conversation somewhere off to her right. They were about 50 feet from the car when the loss slammed into her, and she instinctively tensed around Sam's arm, which was entwined with her own. She turned, panicked, and Molly and Kristina looked at her puzzled. "I couldn't see you," she said as she reached out an arm to them. "You were gone." And then Alexis fell to her knees and started to cry, and her daughters joined her on the asphalt to comfort her.<p> 


	28. Chapter 28

Sam and Kristina stood by the counter of Kelly's sipping their coffee, as they waited for their order. After checking in on their mother, the two had snuck out early to pick up Kristina's clothes from Michael's and get breakfast for the penthouse residents. Sam hoped that circling the Davis girl wagons would help the family grieve, and she had instructed Molly to start trawling Netflix with videos they should have on hand just in case.

Danny dropped his sippy cup and Kristina bent to pick it up. "So, can I give this back to him, or…"

-"It's fine. The mouthpiece didn't hit the floor did it?"

-"I don't think so."

Sam grabbed the cup, took a sip and scrubbed the top with a napkin. "There."

Kristina laughed. "If Mom saw you do that…"

-"Well she didn't and you better not tell her."

The pair were silent, and Kristina looked for any distraction to lift the pall that had enveloped them. "Have you heard from your father?" she asked.

-"No," Sam lamented. "And it's ticking me off. He picked a really bad time to disappear. Mom's not talking and I have no idea where he is."

-"You think she does?"

-"Yup. If she didn't she would have found some roundabout way to ask me if I'd heard from him. You know how she gets."

Kristina sighed. "Why does she still do that? Why doesn't she just ask directly?"

-"Because she feels guilty for loving him."

-"She told you that?" Kristina asked, surprised.

Sam threw her a look. "Of course not."

Her younger sister tried to hide her disappointment. "So Julian—no one knows where he is?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe his sister. My Aunt Ava."

-"Oh, right. The mother of my sister/niece. When I think about it…" Kristina shuddered, then added bitterly, "Although I guess it was Morgan's turn. It's a Corinthos rite of passage—getting screwed over by Sonny."

-"So he's a man now—is that it?"

Her sister smirked, "Yes. But it sounds like Ava took care of it before Sonny had a chance."

Sam swatted her arm as she giggled. "You're terrible, Krissy. You know that?"

Kristina reflected, "I feel guilty laughing about it. Or laughing about anything right now." She looked at Sam helplessly. "But it's so ridiculous. You couldn't make this stuff up." She looked at Sam. "OK. Enough about my dad. Let's get back to talking about yours."

-"What do you want to know?"

-"Well since I know absolutely *nothing*, how about you tell me *everything*? What's he like? Do you guys get along? How does he treat Mom?"

Putting her hands up to ward off the questions, Sam pleaded, "Hold up, hold up. One at a time. You did NOT get your cross-examination skills from Mom. Jeez."

-"I'm going easy on you. Believe me, Sam, if I want to know something, I'll get it out of you."

-"Whatever. I was a professional con artist, Krissy. That means I was good enough to make a living doing it. So you're not getting anything out of me that I don't want to share."

-"We'll see."

-"So which question do you want to start with?" Sam asked.

-"Since it's easier to talk about Mom behind her back and she's conveniently not here, let's start with that one. What's he like with Mom?"

Sam put on a fake whine. "Krissy, seriously? He was the one."

Kristina shook her head. "You're only saying that because he's your dad. I've been there."

-"No. Really—this isn't wishful thinking. He is so kind to her, Kristina. And he respects her. If you could see how he looks at her—it's with this total adoration…he only has eyes for her. I can't remember the last time someone looked at her like that. I'm not lying, Krissy, he almost has everything on our checklist."

-"Except for…"

Sam sighed, "The mob ties, the lying about his identity, getting the house blown up, turning Ric into the cops…although that last one isn't really a problem for me."

-"Yeah. I know. Let's just table that one for now—I don't want to think about Ric right now. I'm too overwhelmed by Nikolas." Kristina looked at the clock above the bar. "This is taking a while. Let me go check on our order."

-"You're going to go in the back? I don't know how Shawn would feel about that. He and Mom aren't really speaking."

Kristina smiled. "I may be Alexis's daughter, but I am also Sonny's, Sam. May as well make it work for me. For once."

As her sister moved behind the counter, Sam turned to check on Danny and found him sleeping, his sippy cup dangling precariously from a partially closed fist. She bent to take it from him when her attention turned to the people entering the restaurant. Sam tensed as she greeted the new patrons.

-"Hello Dante. Det. Nagy."

-"Hey Sam," Dante greeted her without looking in her eyes. "How are you guys doing?"

-"Terrible. It's hard, as I'm sure you know. How are Lulu and Laura?"

-"They're a mess."

-"Yeah. Krissy and I stopped by to pick up some breakfast. See if Belgian waffles, pancakes and omelets will help. And if they don't then maybe the home fries will."

-"Kristina's with you?"

-"Yup. She's in the back, checking up on our order."

Det. Nagy took the moment to jump in. "It's actually lucky we caught you here, Mrs. Morgan. We were planning—"

-"Dina can I talk to you a minute?" Dante grabbed his partner's arm and pulled her away. The two began whispering sharply by the door just out of Sam's earshot. She turned her attention back to Kristina who emerged from behind the counter with their breakfast and TJ.

-"Hey Sam," he said. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about Nikolas."

-"Thanks, TJ. Not much of a change from yesterday. We're all pretty devastated. Are you coming over later?"

-"I told Molly I didn't want to be in the way. She's gonna let me know when she needs me."

Kristina gave him a hug. "Well I hope you come over at some point. Any messages for Molly?"

TJ smiled. "Only the ones I'm texting."

Sam noted, "OK, well we should go before your hard work gets cold and Mom wakes up. See you later, TJ."

The sisters balanced the large bag of take-out, coffees and the stroller as they made their way to the door. As they reached the entrance, Kristina noticed Dante. She started to greet him when Det. Nagy stood in front of them.

-"Mrs. Morgan?"

-"Yup."

-"Will you step outside with me for a moment?"

Sam looked at her curiously, "Well, if you're going my way." She pointedly glanced at her overburdened arms as Det. Nagy hadn't moved. "We're actually trying to get outside but you're kind of in the way. If you could hold open the door that would be great."

The group awkwardly maneuvered themselves outside when Det. Nagy turned to her. Sam stopped her before she could start: "Look detective, I've got my son right now and I can't talk to you without my lawyer, anyway. Can we maybe do this interview in the next couple of days? We're still grieving Nikolas and—"

Det. Nagy interrupted her. "Samantha Morgan, you're under arrest for the murders of Silas and Nina Clay. You have the right..."

Sam stood stunned and looked at Dante who looked at his feet as his partner enumerated her rights. Kristina stepped forward. "Wait, what? You're arresting my sister?"

Det. Nagy continued with the Miranda. "Do you understand these rights as I've described them to you?"

-"Are you kidding me, I'm here with my son." Sam turned to her partner. "Dante? What's going on?"

-"I'm sorry, Sam. We were headed over to your place after breakfast."

-"Mrs. Morgan, you'll need to come with us," Det. Nagy stated.

Kristina opened the door to Kelly's and called inside. "TJ! We need you." She then turned to her brother. "Dante, you know she didn't do this. You can't arrest her."

TJ darted out the door with Shawn, "What's going on? Are you guys OK?"

Dante turned to his sister, "Kristina, you should probably call your Mom and take Danny home."

As though on cue, Danny started crying, awakened violently by the commotion. Sam took a deep breath. "Dante's right Krissy. Call Mom and take Danny home. And tell her I'm keeping my mouth shut."

Tears of anger started to work down Kristina's cheeks when she saw Det. Nagy reach for her handcuffs. "Wait, what are you doing?" She grabbed Dante and spun him around. "You're going to let her do this? You're going to let her cuff Sam. In front of her son."

He put his hands on her shoulders to calm her down, "Kristina…"

-"No Dante. Don't 'Kristina' me. Get off of me." She pushed him in the chest to emphasize her point. Shawn pulled her back, as TJ took Danny back into the restaurant. "We were all in that hospital yesterday. We all just lost Nikolas. He's not even cold yet, Dante, and you're arresting Sam? We're *family* Dante. How can you do this?" She pushed him again.

-"That's it," Det. Nagy said sharply as she finished cuffing Sam. "You've assaulted an officer. You're coming, too."

-"Krissy, please. You're not helping," Sam implored of her sister.

-"This is bullshit Sam. It's bullshit." Det. Nagy grabbed her arms and Kristina wrestled with her before twisting away. "You're arresting me for pushing my *brother*."

Det. Nagy's eyes were on fire. "Well, I was. But now I'm adding resisting arrest."

Shawn pulled Kristina behind him. "Look Detective. Kristina didn't mean anything by it."

Dante looked at Dina, "Just let it go, Dina."

-"No, Dante. She resisted arrest. She assaulted an officer."

Sam piped in bewildered, "Seriously? You're going to arrest her?"

Dante put his hands against his forehead. He went behind Shawn and pulled Kristina off to the side. "What the hell is wrong with you, Kristina?"

-"What the hell is wrong with *you*?"

-"You think I want to be here? You think I want to arrest your sister? There's been a warrant sitting on a desk for her arrest for three days. THREE days, Krissy. We couldn't hold off anymore. And now you're losing it and making a bad situation worse." He turned around and kicked a chair out of frustration. "Shit."

Sam quietly called. "Dante, let's go. I'm not resisting. Krissy, take Danny home."

Det. Nagy glared at Sam. "No, she's not taking Danny home. She's under arrest."

Dante turned to Kristina. "This is what's going to happen. We're going to go to the station and your Mom is going to come and after she's done yelling at me—which may not be until tomorrow—she's going to get you released." He turned to Sam. "Hey."

-"Yes?"

-"So here's the thing. We can either take Danny to the station with us or you can give your consent here to leave him with someone over 18."

Sam fought back tears. "I can leave him with TJ. He can take him back to the penthouse. I don't want Danny in the police station and I definitely don't want him in a police car."

Shawn shook his head. "Dante, is this really necessary?"

-"Yeah, Shawn. Unfortunately it is."

Det. Nagy took a step forward and put her hand on Dante's arm. "I got it, Det. Falconieri. Why don't you take Sam to the car?"

-"No, Dina. You've done enough. I've got this." He sighed and turned to Kristina shaking his head. "Kristina Corinthos Davis, you have the right to remain silent…"

* * *

><p>Alexis was curled on her bed spooning her pillow. Her eyes were puffy, but she was in the stage of grief where everything was numb. She had tried to sleep, but she was plagued by memories of Stefan and Nikolas—and not happy ones. The light tapping on her door pulled her out of her trance.<p>

-"It's open."

Molly's head poked around the door. "I'm sorry to bother you."

-"You're not bothering me sweetheart." Alexis replied flatly.

Her daughter took a moment. She tried to quell the panic that had started rising in her as soon as she got the call from TJ. Molly made her tone as even as possible, "So, Mom…"

Alexis shot up. "What happened?"

-"OK, don't panic."

-"Molly, when you tell me that, I'm going to panic."

-"Kristina and Sam took Danny out to get breakfast this morning."

-"Are they OK? Where are they?"

-"They're OK. They're just down at the police station."

-"Why? Where's Danny?"

-"Sam got arrested. And don't worry about Danny. TJ has him and is bringing him home."

Alexis sighed as she threw off the covers and went to the closet, "Thank God for TJ." She pulled out a suit and looked at Molly quizzically, "Why didn't Kristina just bring him home?"

Molly gulped. "Kristina got arrested, too."

* * *

><p>Alexis pulled into a parking space, slowly rolled her neck and took a deep breath before she emerged from her Prius. The first familiar face she saw when she entered the PCPD was her former client's.<p>

-"Sonny, why are you here?"

-"I heard about Kristina. I want to make sure she gets out."

-"How did you—" She spied Shawn standing behind him. "Never mind. Question answered." Alexis turned to Sonny. "I have to go get my girls released, so if you can just stay here and not make any noise? That would help me immensely."

She turned to walk away when Sonny grabbed her arm. "Hey. I'm really sorry about Nikolas," he said softly.

-"While I appreciate that Sonny, I'm kind of feeding off my anger right now so…"

-"Yup. We don't want to make you sad. Can I ask a favor though?"

-"What?"

His eyes lit up. "Can I watch?"

Alexis sighed, rolled her eyes and walked away. As she came around the corner, she saw Sam first, cuffed to a desk. She walked over and kissed her head. Alexis squatted down so she could meet her at eye level. "They arrested you for the murders?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

-"Alright. Stay here. Say *nothing*. I'm going to get your sister out of here first. Did you see it? What did she do?"

-"She yelled at Dante and shoved him. Det. Nagy really wanted to take her in, so Dante gave in to ease the situation."

-"I'm going to kill him. Probably not here, though."

Alexis stood and turned around to see Kristina secured to the desk closest to the door. As she approached, Kristina sank deeper into her chair. Alexis bent and whispered in her ear. "I am tempted to let you stay overnight and teach you a lesson, but since you didn't learn it the *last* time you were in jail, let's see if getting you out is a more effective strategy." She stood and mouthed to her daughter: "Not. One. Word."

She looked around the room to find a police officer she felt like talking to, as she was too angry to talk to Dante or his partner. Alexis eyed Nathan, but felt she should spare him any interactions with Sam or herself. As she weighed a series of bad options, Anna strode into the room. Problem solved.

-"Commissioner, I'd like to speak with my client."

Anna looked surprised to see her. "Alexis! You're here already?"

-"I'm sorry?"

-"Well, when my detectives called to arrange Sam's surrender, I just assumed you would want it later in the day."

Alexis turned to glare at the arresting officers and noticed that Dante's eyes were already burning into his partner.

-"Somehow her voluntary surrender was an ambush outside Kelly's while she was getting breakfast with her son."

-"What? What happened?"

Alexis put her hand up and shook her head. "Nope. You have that discussion with your detectives. And while you do that, I'd like to speak with my other client."

Anna was puzzled until she saw Sonny. "Ahh. Mr. Corinthos," a slow smile crawled across her face. "And to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Sonny silently beamed his widest smile at her. "Ah, I should know better than to ask you a question. You've been through this routine enough. OK, let's get you two an interview room—"

-"Anna." Alexis shook her head in frustration.

-"What is it Alexis?"

-"He's not my client."

Anna was puzzled. "He's not? Then why is he here? Is he waiting for Diane?"

-"Oh my God I can't believe this day," Alexis muttered to herself. "No Commissioner. He's not waiting for Diane. Sonny is here because *she's* my client." Anna's eyes followed Alexis's outstretched arm that pointed to Kristina.

-"So Sam was arrested outside Kelly's?" Anna asked.

-"Yup."

-"And Kristina was arrested, too?"

-"Yup."

Anna turned to a uniformed officer. "Please show Ms. Davis and her dau— *client* to the interrogation room. Detectives Falconieri and Nagy, can I see you in my office?"

* * *

><p>Kristina became more nervous as the officer shut the door, leaving her alone with her mother. Alexis sat, arms crossed. "What happened?"<p>

-"I'm sorry, Mom. It was just so ridiculous."

-"What was?"

-"We were getting breakfast, minding our own business. We had Danny, we were coming out of Kelly's and she just arrested Sam. In front of Danny. She went to put the cuffs on her—"

-"Det. Nagy?"

-"Yes. She went to cuff Sam and I grabbed Dante to make him talk to me. To ask him how he could do this. I was upset, and he put his arms on my shoulders and I pushed him off of me. I was just so MAD at him, you know?"

Alexis sighed. "Kristina, I know that you're upset, baby. We all are. And Dante shouldn't have put his hands on you. But you need to keep your temper under control." She shook her head. "Was that it?"

-"No." She looked at her mother who raised an eyebrow, signaling for her to continue. "Det. Nagy came over to put me in handcuffs."

-"For what?"

-"Assaulting an officer."

-"Dante?" Alexis asked incredulously.

-"Yes." Kristina watched her mother's eyes grow hard. "So she came to put cuffs on me and grabbed my arm. I twisted to get away from her and then Shawn stepped in to calm down the situation."

-"And that's her 'resisting arrest' charge."

-"Yes."

-"And that's it. That's all that happened. I mean it, Kristina, now is not the time to keep anything from me."

-"I swear, Mom. That's what happened."

-"Wait here."

* * *

><p>Alexis emerged from the interrogation room and went straight for Anna. "Commissioner, a word."<p>

-"Of course, Ms. Davis. We can go to my office."

They walked down the hallway and the door had barely caught in the latch when Alexis started. "You're not serious with this? Really? She's arrested for pushing her brother?"

-"He's a police officer, Alexis. Det. Nagy was just following procedure."

-"Oh cut the shit, Anna." Alexis snapped. She took a moment to breathe. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. We've had a terrible couple of days."

Anna's eyes looked to her hands. "I really am sorry about Nikolas, Alexis."

-"Not now, Anna. Please? I'm sure you're being sincere, but I'm having a hard time processing that right now when you've locked up two of my daughters less than 36 hours after their cousin died."

-"You could have told me this outside."

Alexis sighed. "I didn't trust my temper. OK, let's start with Kristina, then. She got in a fight with her brother, Anna. She was upset that you were arresting Sam in front of Danny on the street. You're seriously going to arrest her for that? And if you're not, please don't posture. Because then I give you my list of threats and you counter and I counter...and it would just save time if you aren't planning to charge her."

Anna smiled grimly. "We're not charging her. Det. Falconieri has insisted on it."

-"And Det. Nagy?" Alexis sat down. "Let me guess. She wants Kristina in jail?"

-"Laws were broken, Alexis," Anna said half-heartedly.

-"Whatever. I don't even know what to say to that, Anna. It's ridiculous. But whatever. Let's talk about Sam. Why now? Why are you arresting her now?"

Anna sighed. "I put it off as long as I could, Alexis. Scott has the press breathing down his back and we have a good case."

-"You can't believe she did this, Anna."

-"Alexis…we have some new, very compelling evidence."

She looked at Anna and tried to hide the terror from her face. If the new compelling evidence Anna had was Sam's gun, then Julian had either failed or his boss had double-crossed him. And it meant that on top of Sam potentially going to prison, Julian was likely dead halfway across the world.


	29. Chapter 29

Mother and daughter finished the paperwork and walked out of the PCPD together. They paused on the sidewalk, and Kristina heard her stomach growl. It was early afternoon and the arrest had prevented the family from eating breakfast; she was famished. Kristina looked at her very distracted mother, studying her eyes. She saw some sadness there, but it was overwhelmed by an anger that Kristina knew first-hand could fuel her mother more efficiently than food. She touched her mother's hand and squeezed lightly.

Alexis turned to look at her with an eyebrow raised and a grim smile on her lips. "Can I trust you to make it from here to the penthouse without getting arrested again?"

Kristina exhaled loudly, as she realized gratefully that she'd been forgiven. Hoping to lift her mother's spirits a little, she smiled back. "That depends." She nodded to the black car with tinted windows, "on how much grief Sonny gives me."

The hoped-for smile failed to show, as Alexis furrowed her brow. "Your Dad is hard, but he's the only one you're ever going to have." She turned to the car before looking at Kristina. "A long time ago I made a decision that he shouldn't be a part of your life. He railed that I was being unfair, and I had been. But not to him. I was unfair to you. I was denying you a chance to make a decision about your dad for yourself."

-"I get why you did it, Mom. You were just trying to protect me."

-"I was. But look, sweetheart. You're an adult now and you get to define the terms of your own relationships. You can decide for yourself if you need Sonny in your life. But think long and hard before you cut him out completely. You can be impulsive, and this isn't a decision that should be made impulsively." She realized she was babbling and tried to better articulate the logic of her argument. "A lot of people have been coming for Sonny lately—"

-"—people like Julian."

Alexis shifted uncomfortably. "Right. People like Julian. But there's always going to be a Julian. Or a Sorel. Or a Frank Smith. Or an Alcazar. It's the nature of his business." She looked at Kristina. "I guess what I'm saying that if you disown him today you may not have a chance to make amends tomorrow. So be sure, baby. Be really *really* sure."

-"It sounds like you think I'm making a mistake."

-"No. I just…" She paused to regroup again. "I look at Molly without Ric, and all the time Sam lost with Julian…whatever you do Kristina, I'll support you. Just think it through." Alexis reached over and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Unless it gets you back here again, that is." She smiled finally and Kristina hugged her.

-"I'll see you back at the penthouse?" Alexis nodded, and Kristina braced herself before heading for her father's car. "I love you, Mom."

Alexis blew her a kiss. "I love you, too." She watched as the car pulled away and sighed, her shoulders slumping. Alexis took a moment to wipe a couple of tears that had found their way down her cheeks. "One down, one to go."

* * *

><p>Her client was eating a sandwich at the desk she was cuffed to. Alexis raised an eyebrow as she pulled a rolling desk chair up to Sam. Her daughter answered her unasked question in a low voice. "Dante. It's a guilt sandwich."<p>

Her mother smirked. "Are they ready for us?" Alexis asked, keeping her voice well out of earshot.

-"Probably. Det. Nagy has been pacing for like an hour. I'm eating this sandwich extra slowly to make her wait." As if to emphasize her point, Sam caught the detective's eye and lifted the sandwich, taking the smallest bite possible and making an exaggerated chewing motion.

Alexis bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a smile. "Sam, her hating you isn't going to help."

-"She already hates me, so it's not like I'm doing any damage." Sam leaned closer to Alexis's ear. "You missed it, though. I saw Dante chewing her out."

-"How did you see that?"

Sam smiled. "They went into the interrogation room after he gave me this sandwich. But they didn't put the blinds down. We ALL saw it."

-"Hmmm. I don't know if that's good or bad." Alexis switched topics. "OK, so Anna says they have new compelling evidence. Other than the gun or Crichton Clark, can you think of anything?"

-"No. I mean my mind's a blank, Mom."

-"Alright. Take your time with that sandwich, by the way. We're going to be in there awhile."

Sam nodded. "Nah, I'm done playing with her. There's no point in putting this off anymore. So let's do this."

* * *

><p>They were surprised when Anna entered the interrogation room with Det. Nagy. Alexis looked at the commissioner suspiciously.<p>

-"What? Det. Falconieri won't be joining us?"

Anna looked at her and phrased her words carefully. "Given recent events, we feel that his personal relationships with both you and your client make it difficult for him to effectively investigate this case."

Sam sat up, "So you're punishing him for what happened this morning. That wasn't Dante's fault." She glared at Det. Nagy.

Alexis put her hand on Sam's forearm. "It's not this morning, Sam. There are other considerations."

Anna nodded. "Yes. It's not disciplinary; it's personal. He has not been reprimanded."

-"While I'm sure that's wonderful news for the detective, I'd rather focus on why my client is here…why your office felt it necessary to arrest my client this morning in front of her child." Alexis purposefully refused to look at Det. Nagy. "The evidence you've gathered wasn't enough to sustain a charge before. What's changed?"

Det. Nagy's voice confidently answered, "We have new evidence, Ms. Davis."

-"Are you planning on sharing what that evidence is, Commissioner?"

Sam watched Anna and her mother have their discussion as if they were the only two in the room. Alexis was clearly ignoring Dante's partner out of anger; she was ticked Det. Nagy had arrested her daughters and decided to freeze her out of her own interrogation. Anna appeared to be letting her…maybe she too was upset about the events this morning? Either way, Det. Nagy didn't appear to be happy with the way this was going. Sam watched the color rise up her neck as she fought to maintain her composure.

-"Shall I begin with a few questions, Commissioner?" the young woman interjected a bit too eagerly.

Anna raised her eyebrow ever so slightly and nodded. "Ms. Morgan, before we begin, I just want to confirm that my officers made you aware of your rights this morning?" Sam nodded. "And you understand them?" She nodded again. "OK, Det. Nagy. You may proceed."

Alexis had been staring at Det. Nagy while Anna asked Sam about her rights. She was nervous about what the evidence was—terrified that it was the gun and that she would lose both Sam and Julian. The only way to suppress the panic was to pick another emotion, so she focused on the anger she felt for the detective. That would get her through the day.

-"Mrs. Morgan. When you were here last, you mentioned a business card Mr. Clay had for a Crichton Clark."

Sam shifted almost imperceptibly, "I did."

-"Have you been to Crichton Clark, Mrs. Morgan?"

-"I have."

-"How many times?"

Alexis stepped in. "More than zero, less than a hundred. Why don't you get to the point, detective?"

-"Fine. We can revisit this question later. Why did you go to Crichton Clark, Mrs. Morgan?"

-"I went to help Silas see his wife."

Det. Nagy nodded. "Mrs. Clay was in Crichton Clark?"

Sam briefly outlined the rationale for going to the facility for Silas. "But when Silas got to her room, she wasn't there."

-"Was he escorted to her room, Mrs. Morgan?"

-"I'm not sure if anyone was with him."

-"Were you with him?"

-"No."

The detective smiled. "Where were you Mrs. Morgan?"

Alexis stepped in. "You don't have to answer that, Sam."

Nagy pressed. "Did you assault two guards at Crichton Clark, Mrs. Morgan?"

Sam looked to her mother, and Alexis shook her head slightly before answering, "I don't think we're answering any more questions about Crichton Clark."

-"Are you sure? We haven't even covered my questions about her visit over the summer with Dr. Patrick Drake."

Anna stepped in. "Det. Nagy, the suspect has refused to answer any more questions along this line." She turned to Sam. "Ms. Morgan, we should let you know that the clinic has filed a police report accusing you of breaking and entering as well as assault on two separate occasions. Police from Scarsdale will be here within the next 48 hours to question you regarding those reports."

Alexis nodded. "Is that it? Nothing else?"

-"Oh no, Ms. Davis," Det. Nagy smiled. "I've got more."

* * *

><p>Anna led the next part of the interrogation. "Ms. Morgan, we'd like to talk a little bit about your alibi."<p>

Sam shrugged. "Sure. What about it?"

-"Let's start by revisiting where you were on the day Mr. and Mrs. Clay were murdered."

Anna and Sam went back and forth on the timeline as Alexis watched. This was somewhat expected because of the seizure of video from Julian's surveillance cameras. There was something Anna was holding back, though, and Alexis started to feel a tingle in her spine.

-"Ms. Morgan. You've mentioned consistently that you were at the ruins of your mother's lake house and then you went straight home. Is this correct?"

Sam nodded.

-"Can you explain this photo for me please?"

Anna pulled out a photo that appeared to be Sam walking in the lobby of Silas's building.

She looked at Anna. "What do you want me to explain, exactly?"

-"Tell me what you see."

-"I see a grainy photo of someone about my height, with my hair color. It could be me. But it's pretty blurry. I couldn't be sure unless I knew when it was taken."

-"It was taken the day of the Clays' murder. About 30 minutes before the first 911 call."

Alexis responded. "Then it's not my client. My client was at the lake house."

-"So she says. But the video surveillance you'd installed can't place her there, Ms. Davis." Anna turned back to Sam. "Are you sure about where you were that day?"

Sam straightened. "Yes, I'm certain. And I'm certain that if this grainy still from surveillance footage was taken from Silas's building 30 minutes before his murder that it's not me."

-"You're sure."

-"Yes, Anna. She's sure." Alexis said. "She's told you her alibi, and it's not changing. Badgering her isn't going to get the answers you want because she didn't do it."

-"I have a witness that places her walking into the building about two minutes before this photo is taken." Det. Nagy jumped in.

-"Who?" Sam asked in total disbelief.

-"Rosalie Martinez," Det. Nagy stated. Alexis could swear she saw the corners of her mouth upturn slightly.

Sam dismissively cried out, "Oh, that is such bullshit."

-"Not another word, Sam." Alexis turned to the police in front of her. "You've asked my client about Crichton Clark and her alibi. We've answered what we can, and now she's done talking. Unless you have any other lines of inquiry?"

-"I think we have enough." Det. Nagy smirked.

Anna cut off her detective. "Det. Nagy. Please." She turned back to Sam and Alexis. "Ms. Morgan, we are charging you with the murders of Mr. and Mrs. Clay. We have motive, opportunity and an eyewitness who places you at the scene. Now, if you want to make a deal, we can make sure you get out in 20 years instead of life without parole."

-"Twenty years?" Alexis shook her head. "Anna you don't even have a weapon. You have a witness who is *clearly* lying. And if somehow the jury still believes her after I'm finished with my cross-examination, you still don't have her in the apartment shooting them. You have no forensic evidence. It's all conjecture."

-"We have the photo."

-"You think a jury is going to put a young mother in jail for the rest of her life because you have a blurry photo of a 5-foot something brunette? C'mon, Anna. Don't insult me."

-"So give me something to take to Scott."

Alexis sighed. "You haven't been listening. We're not pleading because my client didn't do it. If you insist on pressing charges and moving forward with this, we're going to trial. And I don't have to tell you, Anna, what that will be like."

Anna shook her head. "You don't." She walked to the door and opened it. "Officer, will you escort Ms. Morgan to the holding cells until her arraignment?"

-"I'd like one more word with my client before you take her." Alexis waited until the door closed and she turned to Sam. "OK. Don't panic."

Sam started to shake, "Mom, I'm so, so angry. Someone is framing me. How did Madeleine even find that nurse?"

-"I know you're pissed, but I need you to calm down. I need you to look like you're experiencing any emotion other than anger. That won't play well with the judge."

Sam nodded. "OK. I know you're right."

-"So is there anything else you need before you go down there?"

-"Nope."

-"You know I love you baby. I love you and I'm going to get you out of here."

-"I love you too, Mom."

-"Ready?" Alexis asked, and Sam nodded. Alexis opened the door and watched as her daughter was led away in handcuffs. She walked outside to get some air and to think. Alexis was angry, confused and terrified at the same time. If someone was framing Sam, where the hell was the gun?


	30. Chapter 30

Dante placed his hand lightly at her elbow, leaned over and whispered, "Alexis. You need to move. The next case is up." She turned to face him and jerked her arm away like he was made of fire. His eyes looked helpless and guilt-ridden, and Alexis was happy about it. It served him right.

The previous twenty minutes had been a blur, and she was trying to breathe after the gut punch of Sam's arraignment: no bail. Alexis wasn't all that surprised that Scott requested to hold Sam until trial; frankly, she had done that many times to suspects with cleaner records when she was DA. But she was overwhelmed when the judge remanded her eldest to custody, ordering the bailiff to take Sam back to a holding cell before her move to Pentonville. Her bright, beautiful daughter—who had spent so much time rebuilding her life—was going to jail when she was innocent.

Alexis's exit from the courtroom kept apace with her churning mind: a mile-a-minute. Someone—Dante maybe—tried to catch her, but she just plowed forward. They were missing something. They *had* to be. But before she could sit and work it out, she had to see Sam before the transfer. And before Alexis could do *that* she needed to calm down. Alexis veered and abruptly burst her way into the women's room, heading directly for the stall furthest from the door. She slammed the door shut far harder than was necessary, and—realizing she liked the feeling—slammed it shut again as the force bounced it out of its frame. Locking the stall, she pressed her forehead against the cool marble wall and let the tears of frustration fall. Her shoulders shaking, she focused on keeping as quiet as possible. After five minutes she started to take long, deep breaths to get herself under control. She emerged from the stall and went to the sink to minimize the evidence of her mini-breakdown. When she was satisfied she had covered up all that she could, she emerged from the restroom and headed to the cells to see Sam.

* * *

><p>She stared at the ceiling, her thin frame stretched across an even thinner mattress. It had been a long time since she sat in a cell like this awaiting transfer, considering her uncertain future. But unlike those times previous, she was not regretting mistakes in her past: Sam hadn't made any. She wasn't in the cell because she was guilty; she was here in someone else's place.<p>

From Sam's perspective there were two reasons why she waiting for a bus to Pentonville: she was serving as a convenient patsy for a killer who needed the Clays dead or the victims were murdered as a means to put Sam in prison. She and her parents had been operating under the assumption that the former was the case, and deep down she still felt that Madeleine Reeves was involved in her daughter's death. But Sam had nothing but time now, and her mind started to explore the second scenario. Who wanted her in prison? Who had she pissed off enough to kill two people and frame her for it? As she started to answer her own question, she became disheartened. There were the people she had defrauded when she was younger and the people she had helped put away as an adult. Then there were Jason's enemies, Sonny's enemies, Julian's enemies, and even her mother's.

Her mental list was interrupted by the rhythmic clicking of heel on tile, and her mother appeared in front of her accompanied by a uniformed member of the PCPD. Alexis looked determined and hard, but underneath there was a vulnerability Sam noticed—she'd been crying.

-"I'm sorry, sweetheart."

-"Mom. You don't have anything to be sorry for. With my record, it's not surprising I'm here." Sam put her hand over her mother's fingers that gripped one of the bars.

-"Don't say that. You didn't do this and you've turned your life around. You don't belong here and I'm going to get you out."

-"I know."

Alexis inhaled sharply. "OK. So they're going to transport you to Pentonville. I'm going to request another bail hearing, and try and schedule it ASAP. We'll get this reversed—I'll get testimonials from Monica, Felicia, Mac, Niko—," she stopped short and silently cursed herself for forgetting. "We'll get as many people with *legal* power and influence in Port Charles to speak on your behalf as possible. I'll get you bail. I promise."

Sam shook her head. "Mom, believe me I want out of here. But even if you get me bail…it's not going to help if I just end up back here after trial. You need to find who did this."

-"I know, and we're working on it. I promise. Your father and I are working on it."

Sam stared at her hard. "Where is he?"

-"I don't know, Sam."

-"You do know, Mom. You're lying to me. I don't know why but you are."

-"I promise Sam, I don't know where he is. He had to go away for work, but he should be back in a few days."

Her daughter sighed. "OK. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I mean it's not fine, but I'm not going to spend these last minutes fighting with you about it. I want to talk about Danny."

Alexis felt tears well up in her eyes. "He'll be fine, sweetheart. Kristina's home, Molly's here, I'm here…we will take care of him…but God, my little man is going to miss you."

Sam started crying, "I don't think I can stand it, Mom. I can be here, I can do prison. But to be separated from Danny—from my boy, *again*..."

-"I know baby." Alexis put her arms through the bars to pull Sam into an embrace, but couldn't maneuver her close enough. She resigned herself to rubbing her daughter's arms to offer whatever comfort she could. "I'm going to fix this, I promise."

* * *

><p>Alexis walked into a fairly empty Floating Rib and ordered a shot of vodka. She had stayed at the station until the bus came to take Sam to Pentonville. Alexis had wanted to follow it, but by the time Sam was transferred and went through processing it would be close to midnight. Alexis would need to wait until the morning. Her next thought was getting to Danny, but he was already in bed. Kristina and Molly had texted her numerous times across the day, but she wasn't ready to face them. Alexis was ashamed she hadn't been able to free their sister and couldn't bear to see the disappointment on their faces. So she sent them a brief message saying Sam wouldn't be coming home tonight and that she herself would be back late. Her plan was to wait them out until they went to sleep.<p>

She had just slammed back her second shot when she felt a presence next to her. She turned her head slightly and shook her head, "What could you possibly want from me?"

Dante shifted awkwardly. "I'm worried about you."

-"You are? That's comforting, Dante. But I assure you, I'm fine. So you're free to run off…unless you wanted to arrest me, too?"

-"Kristina called me."

-"Did she yell at you? She should have."

-"No. She hadn't heard from you. So I thought I'd try here or the MetroCourt on my way home."

Alexis sighed. "Dante, really. I'm fine. Well, OK. I'm not fine. But I'm functional. I'm not going to be making any stupid decisions. I'm not going to drive anywhere. I just want to be left alone. Really. I need some time to lick my wounds. Can you just let me do that?"

-"I promised Kristina I'd take you home."

-"Dammit Dante. I mean, did you wake up this morning and decide 'hey! I'm going to screw with Alexis today?' Just walk away. I'll get home on my own."

He sat on the stool next to her. "I know I have that coming, but Alexis…I don't want any of this."

-"I know."

His eyes lowered, and he looked both ashamed and contrite. "I never should have grabbed Kristina like that. I just needed her to calm down."

Alexis put a hand on his arm. "I'm actually happy she pushed you."

Dante turned to her with a small smile. "I know. I was so proud of her in that moment. I mean she fought back. And I hate myself for not even thinking about how she would react."

The bartender came over and Alexis looked at Dante, he indicated his preference and she ordered another shot and a beer.

-"Are you sure that shot's a great idea?"

-"Yup."

-"You're the boss."

Alexis nodded after a few beats. "So you're off Sam's case now."

-"I requested it."

She shook her head. "Dante…I'm not going to lie. I'm so angry at you right now. I am beyond mad. But I need you to understand that I would never, *ever* let my feelings about you in this case change Spencer's future."

-"That's really generous of you."

-"It's not generosity, Dante. I'm a lawyer. I *was* the DA. I know what this case against Sam looks like. I know you're just doing your job."

Dante idly peeled the label off of his beer bottle. "That's not why I'm not on the case anymore."

-"Huh?"

-"Spencer. He's not the reason why I'm not on the case. I mean, sure—he's the excuse I'm using. I can't very well reach an equitable custody arrangement with a woman whose child I'm investigating. It's a clear conflict of interest. And that's the reason I'm *saying* I'm off the case. But that's not what's really driving this."

Alexis looked puzzled. "Then I'm not sure I understand. Why would you leave? I need you on that case, Dante. You know she didn't do this."

-"I do."

-"Then why is she in jail, Dante." Her voice rose.

Dante turned to face her and made a gesture to silence her. "I need you to be pissed at me Alexis, but I need for you to be pissed at me for the right reasons."

-"What are you talking about?"

-"OK. Let's say hypothetically Sam did kill Nina and Silas."

-"Let's not, Dante."

-"Bear with me. Let's say she did. The only conceivable way Sam is killing two people is if it's a crime of passion or temporary insanity or self-defense. She's not meticulously plotting their deaths and carrying out a plot."

Alexis stared at him. "I'm listening."

-"So it's a crime of passion. Those aren't meticulous, Alexis. Those are sloppy. Where's the forensic evidence? Where's the weapon? Sure, her prints are all over the apartment…but they're not on Nina's chair. They're not on Nina's stuff. You can easily dismiss those prints as having been there from her time as Silas's lover."

-"I'm sorry. I don't understand. If you know she didn't do this then why are you off the case?"

-"Because something's not right. The photo? That Rosalie statement? Those are fishy as hell, Alexis."

Alexis was starting to fume. "Then why is she in jail, Dante? Why is my daughter separated from her child?"

-"I'm trying to figure that out. Anna wanted me off the case officially so I could continue to look….unofficially." Alexis shook her head in disbelief. "There's a lot of pressure on Scott to arrest Sam. We had that arrest warrant for three days, Alexis. And then that arrest this morning? Anna had told Dina to arrange Sam's surrender with you. But when I came in this morning, Dina insisted we had to go to the house to pick her up. There's something about her. I don't know what it is, but it's not right."

-"Just so we're clear, Dante. You're telling me there's a member of the PCPD who you don't trust who is basically leading the charge to keep my daughter in jail. That is what you're telling me right?"

-"Sort of."

-"And you're also telling me that the Commissioner is aware of this and that instead of pulling her off the case, you're doing some kind of low-rent, half-assed investigation off to the side to prove my daughter's innocence?"

-"No. There's more to it than that. There are other concerns about my partner."

-"Oh, so it's not a low-rent, half-assed investigation, then? It's a low-rent sting to capture your partner in the act?"

Dante squirmed in his seat. "I can't tell you everything."

-"Apparently." She ordered her fourth and final shot. "All I know, Dante, is that my baby girl didn't do this. And you're telling me that *everyone* seems to know this but yet she's in Pentonville tonight and my grandson is going to wake up tomorrow and ask for his mother. Who he can't see."

-"It won't be for too long, Alexis. I promise."

Alexis smiled ruefully. "I've said 'I promise' to Sam at least four times today. And I broke all of them—she's still in Pentonville." She slammed back the last shot. "You tell your boss that I'm not going to wait for her to figure out how fucked up her department is before my baby comes home. I'm going to get her out, Dante." She stood up off the stool.

-"Let me give you a ride home."

-"Nope, I've called a cab."

-"I promised Kristina."

-"Well, you're gonna have to break it." He looked down at his shoes. "You need to stop fraternizing with the pretend enemy Dante. You were undercover, you should know that." She squeezed his arm. "We'll be OK, you know. I just need a couple of days to get over how unbelievably furious I am at you."

Dante smiled grimly. "Well, since we're going to be meeting tomorrow afternoon to discuss Nikolas's memorial service I guess you're going to need to speed up your timeline.

Alexis closed her eyes and shook her head as she turned to exit the bar and meet her taxi.


	31. Chapter 31

Alexis moved her way downstairs to find Molly sitting at the table. Her daughter was hunched over her laptop, and closed it softly as she watched her mother move into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. She came back out and asked, "Do you have plans today, sweetie?"

Molly stared at her mother silently. Her look disconcerted her mother. Alexis questioned her: "What?"

-"You're kidding right?" Molly countered.

Alexis sat across the table from Molly. "No, I'm not kidding. I'm legitimately interested in whether or not you have plans today." She looked around the room. "Kristina's not up yet?"

-"Nope. She waited up for you and fell asleep on the couch. So she's a little tired."

She shifted guiltily. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't intend to be that late."

-"Mom," Molly grabbed her hand. "We're all hurting. Please don't shut us out."

-"I'm not, Molls. I pro—"

Molly shook her head to stop her mid-sentence. "Look, I know that I'm this kid you keep trying to protect. But we know what you're doing. You do it all the time—you never share with us. And I'm petrified right now, Mom. So is Kristina. We're petrified what it's going to do to you."

-"Molly, I'm fine. Really."

But her youngest refused to give her quarter. "No. You're not. And usually we leave you alone because you have someone else. You go to Nikolas or Sam or Jax." Molly's voice got quiet. "Or Julian…but there's no one now except for Kristina and me, Mom. Please, let us help you."

Tears welled in Alexis's eyes. "OK, Molly. I'm sad. I'm sad about Nikolas and I'm petrified about Sam. But I can't stop, right now, baby. Spencer has to be settled and Sam needs to be cleared." She sighed, "When this is all over, and Sam is home and we've buried Nikolas, I promise we can sit and I'll cry for days if that's what you want."

Molly shook her head. "That's not what I want. I don't want you to cry for days for ME. I want you to just let it out, Mom. Because when you don't…you…"

-"I what, Molly."

-"You do things that hurt you in the long run. Like what happened with Kiefer. Or the mayor. Or Luis Alcazar."

Alexis smiled tightly. "Are you afraid I'm going to kill someone, Molly? Or just sleep with a married man."

-"That's not what I mean, Mom. I'm afraid you're going to do something you wouldn't usually do and that you'll regret. Like really, really regret."

She got up and walked over to Molly, signaling for her to rise. Molly reluctantly stood and was pulled into her mother's arms. "I love you, Molls. I'm not fine. But I'm not self-destructive, either. I don't want you to worry about me, and I know you will, but you won't need to." She heard a sniffle and pulled Molly's head back and smoothed her hair.

-"OK," Molly said between her tears. "So how do we help? How do we help you bring Sam home?"

-"I'm working on that. What you can do for me today is take care of Danny. Can you do that? Keep him distracted while his mother is away?"

-"Sure. What are you going to do?"

-"I'm going to meet with the Spencers about Nikolas's memorial service and then visit Sam later this afternoon in Pentonville. And in between I'm going to Wyndemere to see Uncle Victor and make sure I'm following all the protocols for the Greek service on the island."

-"Cassadine Island? But I thought we were burying Nikolas here?"

-"We are. We're interring his ashes here and then having a memorial for him in Greece. It's more ritual than anything—it pulls the family together around Spencer as the heir. The ceremony won't be for a few months, but it will take a while to plan, and I'm looking to Victor to make sure we do it properly."

-"Can I help?"

-"Let me talk to Victor first. Figure out what it entails? Then I'll let you know. Does that work?"

-"Sure."

-"And if you and Kristina have time, visiting hours today are in the early afternoon. Just don't bring Danny. Sam wouldn't want that."

* * *

><p>The meeting with the Spencers went as well as Alexis could have anticipated. She sat in the MetroCourt suite the family had rented out for their stay in Port Charles, and she listed the requests Nikolas had laid out for his memorial service and internment of his ashes. They opted for a relatively simple service the following Saturday, and the only heated debate came when Alexis noted she would enlist the local bishop to say a few words, infusing some Russian culture into the ceremony.<p>

-"That's what the Cassadine Island ceremony is for, Alexis. To stamp your family's name on his death. This memorial service is about who he was as a person," Laura objected.

Alexis sighed. "I'm sorry, Laura. But this *is* who Nikolas was as a person. I know it's a part you wish didn't exist, but it did. If we're celebrating Nikolas's life, then I'd like to follow his wishes. And he requested this."

The room sided with Alexis—albeit with care so as not to hurt Laura's feelings—and the plans continued without interruption.

As she stood to leave, she turned to Lulu. "I need to speak with you and Dante in the next few days. There are arrangements we need to make for Spencer. I'm the lawyer for the estate and so technically Spencer's. You may want to bring legal representation."

-"I don't understand, Alexis. I trust you. We know you'd never hurt Spencer. Why would we need a lawyer?"

-"I just want you to know what you're getting into. There's a trust, on top of what Nikolas provided for you and Dante. As regent, I'll oversee the trust, but you both need someone to walk you through what's in it to make sure your own interests are protected."

-"Can't that be you?"

-"I'll be there to guide you, absolutely. But find someone else, too. Someone who can ask the questions you may not think to."

Lulu nodded and picked up Alexis's hands. "I know that this has been hard for you. I feel like my heart has been ripped out, and I don't have to worry about my own child." A tear fell down Lulu's cheek. "Thank you for not taking this out on Dante. I know you love Spencer and you'll do the best for him. And even though she doesn't always show it, my mother knows it, too."

Alexis gave her a hug, as Lulu whispered. "We know you're not the enemy, Alexis."

* * *

><p>By the time the launch pulled into the slip to pick her up, Alexis was already exhausted. It was only late morning, but she was on her third cup of coffee. Fortunately, the ride to the island was bracing, and she used the time to focus on steps to clear Sam, willfully avoiding any thoughts about Julian. He would be back in about three days, and she convinced herself that no other scenario was possible.<p>

It was mid-September and although the leaves had not yet begun to turn, the humidity seemed to recognize the change in seasons and entered hibernation. The sun was out, the sky was blue and Victor greeted his guest, guiding her to the patio on the east side of the house. Alexis tilted her head to Victor in appreciation of his attempts to bar any sad thoughts of Nikolas by avoiding the scene of their last happy interactions. But he failed to recognize that all she saw now were ghosts of Nikolas and Stefan strolling about the manse—it didn't matter where they were.

He pulled out her chair to seat her, and settled himself on the other side of the small breakfast table. An umbrella offered them some shade, and Alexis wrapped her light sweater around her shoulders.

-"How are you Alexis? You look so tired, my dear. Of course I mean that in the nicest way possible—you are always glorious. But these few weeks have taken their toll. Can I offer you anything? Some tea, perhaps?"

-"If you have any iced, I would love some. Thank you."

Victor let the butler know their order, and turned to his niece as the servant went to fill it. "As I was saying, it's been quite a week for you. I'm devastated of course, that you need to come to me under such sad circumstances, but I'm happy to have the chance to help you if at all possible. You mentioned something about the service in Greece?"

Alexis walked Victor through the plan Nikolas had made and asked questions about pieces they may be missing. "It's important, of course, that we do this correctly. Nikolas always wanted to make sure Spencer had access to his birthright." She left out the 'if he wanted it,' unsure how her uncle would feel about a Cassadine chucking aside his familial place in favor of living a pedestrian life.

Victor nodded. "Of course. I must say, Alexis. He is so young, there are probably branches of the family that would object to his inheritance. So I agree that this ceremony holds probably greater importance than it did when we buried Mikkos."

They talked through the etiquette and invitation list. Victor was impressed with Nikolas's thoroughness and how Alexis had managed to patch any gaps in the prince's instructions. Alexis sighed as they finished the list and reviewed it, dragging her eyes up and down. "This is a very long list. It's hard to believe it will come together in three months."

Victor contemplated her before deciding to speak. "You know, Alexis. If you need help, I'm more than happy to handle these details…with your input of course."

She smiled, "I would be grateful for the help, Uncle. But I'd need to make sure that I was the liaison between you and Spencer. It will be some time before Laura feels confident enough in the arrangements to trust you with anything that involves her grandson."

He made a strange face and brushed her concerns away with a wave of his hand. "Of course, Alexis. Anything you want."

-"Thank you."

-"It's just after noon. I was planning on eating a light lunch out here. Join me?"

-"Thank you, Uncle. But I'd like to leave soon. I'm off to Pentonville to visit Sam."

Victor nodded. "But you have to eat, correct? And after our last meal together, I don't know if I trust you to feed yourself." He smiled. "I'd like to speak with you anyway, and you have to eat. So please," he grabbed her hand and smiled, "stay."

She looked at her watch. She was hungry and she enjoyed Victor's company. He was right—she'd probably just grab a burger on the way to Pentonville. "OK. You are impossible to resist, Uncle."

-"It is a gift, my dear."

* * *

><p>They ate a lunch of lightly grilled fish and a salad with tomatoes and corn. Alexis smiled at him, "You were right. I needed this."<p>

-"See? Sometimes your elders are good for something."

She teased him, "Wow. I think I've told Molly that a few times. Now I know why she makes that face at me when I do."

Victor smiled in acknowledgement of her teasing as he folded his napkin and placed it on the table. "I'm not sure how to approach this, Alexis. And it's rather an abrupt change of topic, so I offer my apologies. But I was wondering: have you had any luck with Samantha's case? Any evidence to help prove her innocence?"

Alexis shook her head. "No. I'm hoping…" her voice trailed off. "I'm hoping her father has some luck but I…I don't know if he will." She focused on keeping her voice steady. The mention of Julian's name unleashed the trepidation she thought she had locked away.

-"Hmmm." Victor looked pensive. "Well, maybe I can help, Alexandra."

She smiled indulgently. "You've been so helpful already. With the business, with helping arrange Nikolas's memorial service in Greece…I don't know how I would have gotten through all this without you. I'm somewhat ashamed, actually."

Victor looked puzzled. "Ashamed? Why on earth would you feel ashamed?"

Face blushing, Alexis looked at her hands. "Nikolas told me you were one of the 'good' Cassadines, but I didn't trust you. I actually tried to point out the million ways he could be wrong, but…" She lifted her head. "I'm sorry, I haven't trusted you and shown you the deference you've deserved. Even though you've been so loyal and so quick to help. I hope you can forgive me."

Victor looked at her, "So does this mean you trust me now?"

She rolled the question over in her mind. "If I'm being honest, I'd say it's a 60/40 split on the trust/not trust. You've pulled through on everything I've asked of you so far, but I just…I just don't know you enough to trust you implicitly. I hope you understand that."

Victor smiled, "Well, I'm relieved then."

She questioned him as he took a sip of his tea, "Relieved?"

-"Yes. You see, I knew it. I knew you were smarter than she said."

Alexis looked at him quizzically. "Well thank you for the compliment," she giggled. "But smarter than who said?"

-"Your step-mother. She went on and on about how you were a mouse and useless, but her hatred was blinding her. I mean for gods' sake, Alexandra. You're in your 50s, Helena clearly hates you and you're still here. You're far more devious and clever than she ever gave you credit for." He broke into a huge grin. "Oh, I rather like you, Alexandra."

She tried to process what he was saying, but she couldn't shake off the haze around her. Victor wasn't making sense. "Wait, you've spoken to Helena? But she's dead."

-"Oh, she's dead. For now anyway." He looked at her incredulously, "Well surely you don't think this all came together in a matter of months? This has taken years of planning." He looked at Alexis's blank expression. "What I'm trying to tell you Alexandra, is that you were right. The whole time you were right not to trust me. And I'm so glad this has worked out because I really wasn't looking forward to killing you."

Alexis didn't know what she was hearing, but she felt a constriction in her chest. "What came together? What plan?" she asked tightly.

-"Come, come Alexandra." He snapped his fingers as though to wake her up. "I need you to be quicker than this."

Alexis stumbled as she tried to control her panic. She felt like she needed to pass this test, but she had no idea what it was on. "What? Sam and Silas? Nikolas? But that was an accident. What has come together?" She looked at him desperately, "this isn't making any sense."

He sighed. "Yes, dear. Yes to it all. I'm a little disappointed in you, Alexandra, but I'm going to assume it's the shock that's making you slow." Alexis face had started to turn pale. "Take a sip of your tea, dear. You look like you're about to faint." He waited until she finished. "I'm talking about destiny, Alexandra. I'm talking about taking our rightful place. I'm talking about the plan for the resurgence of the Cassadine."

-"But you have a Cassadine: Nikolas." She caught herself, "or you had one."

-"He was a Cassadine who refused to use his power," Victor spat disgustedly. "Nikolas was destined for greatness, but his conscience ruined him. And when he failed, *we* failed."

-"How did he fail, exactly? The company is doing well, we're out of debt—"

-"Gods, Alexandra. We're not bureaucrats or actuaries! We're gods. Here—on earth. We're not destined to balance the books, but to change the world. To make governments bend to our will. Not to make quarterly reports to the SEC."

Alexis looked at his face. It was maniacal, and yet in an odd way beautiful, as though some sort of vision that lit from within possessed him. She processed his words until realization slowly dawned on her. She whispered. "So you what? You killed him?" She put her head in her hands, "Oh my God. Oh my God." She felt the bile and her lunch rise in her throat and she took two quick steps to the grass and fell to her knees, wretching.

Victor gave her a pitying look. "No, Alexis. We didn't need to. The gods did it for us. It's destiny, Alexis. Destiny for the Cassadine to rise in more capable hands."

She rose and turned, slowly walking back towards her uncle, shaking her head in disbelief. "So you relied on destiny? You hoped that Nikolas would slip and fall?"

-"No, no, no. Don't be stupid, Alexis. I had a neat little car accident planned for him. But I didn't need it. It's made things so much easier, really. No pesky investigations. No nagging suspicions on the part of other branches of the family tree that there are machinations afoot. It's all coming together marvelously!" He clapped his hands to emphasize his joy, like a child who has just been given candy.

Alexis reached back for her chair as she quickly worked through her uncle's insane ramblings and a sense of dread overwhelmed her: he wasn't finished with his revelations. "But you have me in the way now," she said softly.

-"Pardon, my dear? I didn't catch that."

Her voice got stronger as she cocked her head to the side. "I'm the executor. I act as regent should anything happen to Nikolas and Spencer is underage. Clearly, I'm in the way. But you said you didn't have to kill me. So you have another way of removing me as an obstacle."

Victor smiled again, "Oh, Alexandra. You're everything I could have hoped for. There's the intelligence I've been waiting for." He sat back in his chair. "So tell me, clever girl, how exactly am I getting you out of the way."

Alexis braced herself against the arms of her chair for support. "Sam."

-"Yes. My dear niece, Samantha."

-"Why would you frame her? Why not just kill me?"

-"Once again, the gods stepped in, Alexandra. The plan *was* to kill you, but that wasn't ideal. One death we could get away with perhaps—and we had to kill Nikolas. But killing you so quickly after? Questions would be asked. I preferred leverage over violence in your case." He smiled at her. "I was also curious about you. Helena hated you so very much, there was a part of me that wanted you to live to spite her."

She closed her eyes wearily as she asked her next question, "How did the gods step in?"

-"Well my niece was being watched. So when a madman and his mother burst into her apartment with a gun and attacked her husband before my security team could arrive, I needed to figure out how to...what's that expression? 'Make lemonade out of lemons.'"

-"Your niece?"

-"Nina Clay. Tony's daughter. You remember your Uncle Tony? Well, she was a pet project of ours. Comatose for so long before she was roused. We wanted to study her to see the lingering affects of her injury. It was important to our work."

Alexis shook her head, "I'm not following."

-"That's alright, dear. I'll spare you the details. Suffice it to say, that my niece's rehabilitation failed when she chose a confidant poorly. We came to the apartment to find her husband on the verge of death and Nina hysterical. The experiment couldn't be salvaged, so before we ended it we tried to see if we could use the failure to our advantage. And lo and behold, Samantha! She had no alibi for that day, the cameras in her office made it easy to open her safe and easily retrieve her gun. It was perfect, Alexandra."

-"I can't believe this."

Victor nodded his head solemnly. "Because it is unbelievable, Alexandra. Our right to rule is divinely given. And nowhere is this more evident than in the events that have transpired. It is truly miraculous." He grabbed her hand across the table. "You understand that I have been chosen? That I have to lead."

Alexis looked into the eyes of the fanatic across from her, but her sole focus was on Sam. "OK. So you needed leverage, you obviously have it. What do you want from me, exactly? What will it take to free my daughter?"

-"Ugh. Samantha." Victor's face curled in disgust. "Are you sure you want to save her, Alexandra? She does you no favors. A two-bit whore just like her grandmother. Do you know when you were born, we all suspected you were actually Tony's? Your mother got the end she deserved, just like your daughter should."

-"If you touch my daughter—"

-"—yes, yes, Alexandra," he said dismissively. "I understand you love her and feel some sort of attachment. That's *why* I'm using her as leverage."

She steadied her breath. "So I want her free, and clearly that's in exchange for something else. What do you need from me to make that happen?"

-"I should think the answer is obvious, Alexandra. I want Spencer."


	32. Chapter 32

-"I should think the answer is obvious, Alexandra. I want Spencer."

Alexis looked at Victor as he sneered at her. He wanted Spencer? She started to vocalize the questions in her head. "Spencer? Why Spencer? He's an eight-year old boy. What could you possibly want with him?"

-"He's the heir Alexandra."

-"But he's *eight.* He runs *nothing.* He can't possibly be in your way."

-"No. But as regent, I could make sure he stays off to the side."

Her head snapped up. "What does that mean?"

-"It means that as the guardian of Spencer, Alexandra, I could make sure his interests better…aligned with my own."

-"We can get creative, Uncle. He's ten years away from his 18th birthday. Surely, his potential inheritance won't get in the way of your plans."

Victor smirked, "Alexandra. Are you implying that I'm not long for this world? And here I thought you disliked the sight of blood."

-"I'm not talking about your murder. You're old. You've got to be what...75 now? Even if you live another ten years it won't be much longer than that. We can keep Spencer away from you."

-"My, my. Bringing up my age, Alexandra. That isn't very polite," Victor teased.

Alexis gaped at him. He was so completely insane, bantering like they were discussing which Mediterranean destination had the best winter shopping. "I'm sorry if I was rude, Uncle. I seem to have divested myself of my manners around the same time I divested myself of the fish." She gave a slight head nod to where her lunch lay in the grass. "Why not let Spencer live his life as Nikolas intended. You don't need him."

-"You make two assumptions, Alexandra. The first, is that I will die. The second, is that it's just for the pleasure of young Spencer's company."

His first statement was so absurd that it kicked Alexis's brain into gear. It was reminiscent of claims made by her more insane criminal clients and foes…and family members. She mentally separated Victor's grasp over her life—which was too terrible to contemplate—and focused solely on his story. Alexis would need information to find the key to destroying her uncle. And she desperately wanted to destroy him. "So you're not going to die. You're immortal, then?" she asked dubiously.

Victor smiled at her. "I've been a busy, busy bee, Alexandra. Surely, you don't think I'd go to all this trouble for a two-year ride at the top."

-"You'll need to forgive me, Uncle. I have only suddenly realized I don't know you at all," she quipped. "Why don't you explain it to me then? How can you possibly live forever?"

-"Maybe not forever, Alexandra. But longer. Long enough to enjoy what is rightfully mine. And to destroy my enemies for what they did to me. With any luck, I'll not only outlive you, but your daughters. Although the latter may not be a matter of luck."

The threat wasn't even veiled. She leaned forward and spat, "If you touch any of them, Victor. If you harm one hair on the head of any of my children—"

-"This is so repetitive, Alexandra. I understand. Mr. Alcazar and Mr. Bauer were lessons to us all. Well, to me, anyway."

Alexis was angry, but knew she needed to calm down. There was more information she needed to get and she would miss something if she was emotional. "You also said it wasn't for the pleasure of Spencer's company. So why do you need him at all? He's precocious and he's a handful. Why trouble yourself?"

-"Because my great grand nephew doesn't come by himself, Alexandra. He comes with a trust."

She could have kicked herself. The money. *Of course* it was the money. "The trust? That's it? Victor, the Cassadine fortune is so vast…how could you possibly settle for control over just the trust. Why wouldn't you try for control over the whole estate?"

-"The trust is not what I hoped, I grant you that, Alexandra. I underestimated Nikolas's desire to have his child live a more normal life. However, control over the fortune makes me a target. I will settle for the seed money. It's enough for now."

Alexis was quiet as her brain churned over all the information she had. She needed to sit with a legal pad and paper and work it all out—to review conversations she'd had with her uncle to find other pieces to the puzzle she'd discarded as frivolous amusement at the time. She looked up to find him staring at her.

-"Looking for a way out, Alexandra?"

-"Of course. Do you really think I'm going to let you take Spencer?"

-"No," he said simply. "Which is why I'm framing your daughter. That's why it's called a trade, Alexandra: something you want for something I want."

She felt the tears well to her eyes. At first she tried to hold them back, but she decided against it. He knew she didn't want to let him have Spencer, and for the moment it was best to give him the reaction he expected. She allowed the tears to fall as she worked herself up to mild hysteria. "But to let an orphan be raised by you…on that island or on this one. I *promised* Nikolas. I can't do it, Uncle."

-"Poor, poor Alexandra." He clucked his tongue pityingly. "I must say I'm not surprised by this reaction. You and Nikolas have always been too emotional in how you approach life." He moved his chair to soothingly stroke her back. "I'm almost sorry I have to do this, Alexandra, for I am fond of you," he said earnestly before shrugging, "But you see, I have no choice. And as such, neither do you. It's Samantha in a real prison, or Spencer with me at Cassadine Island."

-"You can't make me choose. I can't choose."

He was quiet as he passed a napkin to her and tucked hair behind her ear. "But you must, Alexandra," he whispered. "I thought the choice was obvious, but maybe I guessed incorrectly. Maybe I need to up the stakes for you," he added thoughtfully.

-"Please don't," she nearly jumped out of her skin. "What if I could figure out a way? What if I could do it? Get you what you want without sacrificing Spencer or Samantha."

Victor sneered. "Let you walk out of here and try and ruin my leverage? I don't think so, Alexandra. I'm not that stupid."

-"No! Uncle. I never thought you were stupid," she could have kicked herself at her miscue. "But I know the players, I know the way the estate is structured. Maybe I can find another way to get you what you want."

He stared at her. "I don't think so, Alexandra."

Alexis became desperate, and that desperation fueled the logical part of her brain. "But you yourself said that your plans had changed. That the gods had interfered to circumvent your plans and that only made your current position stronger. Your plan is good, Uncle. But maybe you're missing something. Maybe this is the way the gods are trying to help you."

Victor seemed to contemplate her argument, so she pressed on, "What's the worst thing that can happen? You still have evidence against Sam, so I can't free her. Nikolas's will hasn't been to probate yet. I can't free myself from your deal if I fail. And I have every motivation to succeed."

He tapped his fingers against the table mindlessly as he quietly stated, "An instrument of the gods?" Then he smiled at her. "I can see why your legal skills are so very much in demand, Alexandra." He stood and clapped his hands together gleefully. "I tell you what. It's 3 pm now. I will give you 24 hours to show up at my door with a deal to present to me. If you fail, you still have to choose between Spencer or Samantha." He grabbed her wrist and squeezed as his voice turned cold. "And I warn you now, Alexandra. You try to hide Spencer or free Samantha or imprison me…you'll lose more than you bargained for. Kristina is still in town, yes? As is my favorite, the darling Molly."

-"I understand, Uncle."

-"Then I'll see you tomorrow. Plan on staying for dinner. We were planning on pork tenderloin tomorrow, but if you prefer we can have something else. Duck?"

Alexis just stared at him blankly. His shift from killing her daughters to planning the following night's dinner menu chilled her. She whispered, "Tenderloin is fine."

* * *

><p>She barely held it together on the launch back to the mainland, throwing up twice over the side to the captain's disgust. Her momentary embarrassment was replaced by relief that he would share her behavior on the boat with Victor. Her uncle had a tactical advantage in ambushing her with his plan and deal; it would be suicide to try and attack him head on. Her best bet was to comply with his requests and buy more time. Victor needed to know that he was still in control—that events were unfolding as he planned them. He anticipated his niece, Alexandra, would be scared. And he had made it easy for Alexis to show him those feelings: she was terrified.<p>

She regressed to her primary defensive posture as a child: give them what they expect. If Helena thinks you're a mouse, act as a mouse. If Stefan thinks you're a brilliant scholar, outsmart him in lessons. The key to survival was to draw no attention, and that meant not only avoiding a spectacular fall but also avoiding a brilliant success. Either scenario was an opportunity to surprise and a cause for reevaluation; Alexis needed the rules to be fixed for the next 24 hours.

How did Victor see Alexandra? Smart: but not too smart. Someone who made mistakes. Someone emotional who put her children first. He didn't see her as a mouse, but he also didn't see her as a messianic leader, either. Alexis would need to act as Alexandra, which meant she needed a clever plot, but nothing too clever. She needed to leave Wyndemere on Sunday night with Samantha and Spencer's freedom secured. And apparently filled with dinner.

The office superstore was open and she ran in to purchase supplies: two legal pads, a large easel pad, post it notes, and a small camera, splitting her purchases on two receipts. She contemplated picking up a printout of Nikolas's will, but she knew the ins and outs by heart and refused to leave a copy lying around. Her equipment purchased she sat in the parking lot unsure where to go. Not home and not her office—too many distractions. Furthermore, now that she knew how insane Victor was, she couldn't be sure those places weren't bugged. She drove until she pulled into a small motel that catered to businessmen traveling to Port Charles on a budget. The room was small, but with wall space, a desk and a bed—if she could bring herself to sleep. Her room was on the second floor as she requested, down a small hallway hidden from the elevator and prying eyes.

Alexis called Kristina and left a voice message telling her she had a lead on Sam's case, and had to fly to New York briefly: she'd be back tomorrow. It was a lie, but as Madeleine was in the city and the popular Davis girl theory involved her in the Clays' murder it was believable. Kristina and Molly would worry, but not for the reasons or to the degree that they should.

She ordered a pot of coffee and then she started to work. Clearing her mind of all of the things she learned tonight and all of the pieces that had confused her since the Clays were murdered. Once she had that list, she extended beyond to the piece that appeared to set everything in motion: Julian's arrival in Port Charles.

* * *

><p>Alexis looked at the two different maps she'd made on the walls and started writing down the questions she still had. She took a photo of her work and then carefully pulled down one, consolidating chosen post-its from each into their own map—one that would impress but not dazzle. She then copied some—but not all—of her notes into a second notebook, taking care to write down a few of her questions on a separate sheet and rip it out. She picked up the original notebook that contained all her thoughts, extra post-its and the receipt with the camera on it and surveyed the room. There was something missing: evidence of panic. Alexis forced herself to think of what would happen if she couldn't come up with a deal, and the tears started flowing. Ten minutes later, she had crumbled up tissues covered in mascara in the bin by the desk and in the bathroom.<p>

Hopefully, this tableau would convince Victor that Alexandra was behaving as expected, and his henchmen would accurately report on the facts she'd left strewn about the hotel room once they broke in.

She took a minute to splash some cold water on her face as she contemplated the next step. Alexis thought back to her conversation with Victor in the Irish pub. She was fairly certain he didn't believe that she and Julian were through; consequently, she was fairly certain that's where Victor would anticipate her to go.

Alexis smiled grimly at her good fortune. Julian wasn't around to help her, but she didn't need to see Julian. She needed to see his roommate.

* * *

><p>She spent the whole drive trying to figure out how she would play it with Ava. As she stood poised on her door, she realized she still hadn't made a decision. Alexis knew she needed to hide Victor's involvement, but beyond that she wasn't sure how much she should reveal. Or to be fair: how much she'd be able to keep concealed.<p>

Ava was somewhat surprised to see her, but not unwelcoming. Alexis sat on the chair as Ava returned to the couch.

-"You're moving much better."

Ava smiled, "Yes, the last few weeks have been better as far as the heartburn goes. Makes it easier to sleep."

Alexis nodded her head and looked around. Ava watched her for a few moments before adding, "Julian's not here."

-"I know."

There was more silence. Ava broke it again, "Is there something you wanted to address?"

Alexis responded by pulling out her notebook, and she scribbled a question on it before passing it to a curious Ava. "This is a little seventh grade," she mumbled to herself as she read the question. Her eyes rose to survey Alexis. "Julian sweeps for bugs once a week since we don't trust our boss. And since I never leave here, no one's had the opportunity to plant a bug without my knowing." She tilted her chin up, "Why?'

She sighed in response. "I just needed to be sure." Alexis stood and began pacing the room. "I have questions I need to ask you, and I don't trust your boss. Julian's told you that we think he's framing Sam?"

Ava nodded. "He mentioned it. But I didn't press the issue." She shifted, "Alexis, why are you here?"

-"Julian told me that if something happened that you would know where the bodies were buried."

She sat up, "Did something happen to Julian?"

-"I don't know. I haven't heard anything," Alexis said quietly.

-"Well he's not supposed to be home for another two days," Ava said confidently. "So…what's happened?"

-"It's not that something has happened per se involving your boss." She paused. "You and I spent a lot of time talking about Madeleine as a source of reasonable doubt."

Ava nodded. "I remember."

-"In looking into Madeleine and the money as a potential motive, I realized we never really spoke about Nina's father."

-"We didn't. But I never met her father, Alexis."

Alexis nodded, "I know. But if there's anything you may have heard in passing? Anything at all…what he was like, where he was from? Anything like that?"

Ava proceeded to share what she knew about Nina's father: he was the source of the money, he adored Nina by all accounts, and he was out of her life in her mid-teens.

-"When you say 'out of her life' do you mean dead?"

-"That was what was implied, but I pressed Silas on it once. He said her father just disappeared. They never found him. But Madeleine had him declared dead. That was a source of tension between Madeleine and Nina apparently."

Alexis nodded, brow furrowed as she tried to piece it together. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ava's gentle, "Alexis."

-"Sorry. I zoned there for a second."

-"What's really wrong?"

-"What do you mean 'really wrong'?"

Ava sat up, "You're wound like a clock. You came in here buzzing, and now it looks like you've crashed. You had questions but you're not asking them." She tried to make her voice empathetic, "if you need help, just ask me."

Alexis sighed. "It's all wrong. My daughter's in jail, and I can't help her. Julian is off somewhere trying to please your boss to get her release. And then we wait for the next thing he hangs over our heads. It's like a game where we never know the rules and they keep changing on us. I feel so helpless…so frustrated. And…" She stopped herself suddenly. If she kept on this path, she'd start divulging information about Ric and the real Luke that she wasn't sure Ava was privy to.

Ava nodded sympathetically. "Julian and I are trying, Alexis. We want to be free ourselves. I'm trying to get Julian to help me change the game."

Alexis shook her head in confusion, "What do you mean? Change the game?"

-"Our boss clearly has a reason for wanting to get rid of Sonny. We have no idea what that is. And I'm trying to find out because we can't give him Sonny. But we can't propose a new plan or delight him with our loyalty because we don't know what his endgame is."

-"So you're trying to give him what he doesn't know he wants."

-"Not quite. We're trying to give him exactly what he wants, but that he didn't think was possible. And we're trying to use that to extricate ourselves."

Alexis smiled tightly. "How's that going?"

Ava shook her head, "Not well. I'm hoping Julian learns something in Asia."

-"Me, too," Alexis whispered.

-"For what it's worth…" Ava started hesitantly.

-"Yes?"

Ava closed her eyes and continued. "For what it's worth, I don't think you're being entirely honest with me. And that's OK. I haven't earned your trust…you certainly haven't earned mine." She opened them. "But Julian has."

Alexis shifted uncomfortably, "You don't know everything about Julian and me, Ava."

-"No, I don't. But I know Julian loves you. And you apparently love him—you've said 'we' at least fifty times since you've been here. And I know Julian's been as honest with you as he can. But I also know people, Alexis. You have a lot of secrets. Julian thinks it's fine, but I know better."

Alexis stiffened, "Really? And how do you know me so well?"

-"I told you when you were here last time that like recognizes like, Alexis. Just remember that in the end the lies always catch up with you. So if you're going to destroy my brother, I'd just prefer you left him now."

-"I have no plans to destroy your brother."

Ava sighed, "And I had no plans to destroy Morgan. But I did. And I never wanted to…I love my brother Alexis, and you make him very happy. But that's a power that can turn quickly. And if you can't control it, I'd appreciate it if you'd let him go now."

-"Give him up while he can still walk away, is that it?"

Ava shook her head sadly. "When you put it that way, forget I said anything. Julian's not walking away."

Alexis stood up flustered. "I'm sorry. I should go. I apologize for intruding."

-"It was no intrusion, Alexis. But I feel it probably wasn't as successful as our last meeting. And I'm sorry you didn't get what you needed. If it's any consolation, I'm somewhat empty-handed, too."

-"How so?" Alexis asked her confused.

Ava put on a pout. "No brownie."


	33. Chapter 33

Alexis sat in her car and turned on her phone. There were a ton of texts from Molly and Kristina, and she quickly typed out a few replies to soothe any worry. She sat in her car pondering her next move. At this point, Victor had probably set up some type of surveillance in her motel room, requiring all "discoveries" from here on out to be staged. But Alexis had more thinking to do. She pulled out and drove until she found a small coffee shop that was still open. From the street she saw a layout that would allow her to be watched, but still afford her a small measure of privacy if she sat in the back. It would have to do.

* * *

><p>She shifted in a back booth, stirring her French roast as she waited for her sandwich. Alexis wasn't particularly hungry, but she knew she wouldn't be able to make it through the night on an empty stomach. The hot liquid swirled around her cup and she poured a little cream, watching streaks of white spiral into the black until both merged into her preferred mocha color. Once she ate, she would return to her hotel room and put on the performance of a distraught Alexandra before buckling down and typing a proposal. And then she would sleep restlessly—all for the cameras she was sure were installed in her room by now. Fortunately, Alexis wouldn't need to put too much effort into her acting to be convincing. She was petrified.<p>

* * *

><p>Alexis woke late the next morning after a night of tossing and turning and showered. She packed up her belongings and checked out, grabbing a stale croissant and a cup of bad coffee from what was left of the motel's continental breakfast. Five hours before her presence was required at Wyndemere. She needed her strength before she faced Victor that afternoon, and there was really only one place that would steel her reserve before she capitulated to her uncle's demands. Alexis pulled her car out of the lot and headed for Pentonville.<p>

* * *

><p>The fluorescent lighting shone on the small table and chairs. The room's glossy, institutional tile amplified the brightness, and Alexis found herself wincing somewhat against the glare. She tapped her fingers idly against the table, the only outlet for the tension that enveloped her. When the door finally opened and Sam slid passed the guard into the room, Alexis nearly jumped out of her chair. Her beautiful daughter stood cuffed in front of her, in a denim shirt at least one size too large that made her seem tinier, if that were even possible. Alexis moved to hug her, but was quickly warned against physical contact by the guard. He stood in the doorway, unmoving as Alexis stared at him.<p>

-"You know I'm her lawyer?"

-"Yes."

-"Great. So I'll knock on the door when we're finished."

The guard snorted at his dismissal and moved into the hallway. Once out of sight, Alexis reached over and grabbed Sam's hand. "How are you, baby?"

Sam sighed. "I'm terrible. But I'm managing to keep it together. How's Danny?"

-"Kristina and Molly say he's doing fine, baby. He asks for you, but he's adjusting. In his mind it's just a trip you're taking. We tell him you're coming back soon every day."

-"What did you mean by 'Kristina and Molly'? How is he around you?" Alexis was silent. Sam's tone turned accusatory, "Are you saying you haven't seen him? Mom! I'm locked in here. You're his world even when I'm *in* the room. I need you to be there for him."

Alexis shook off the rebuke and looked at her hands. "I know, baby. But I need you out. And I had to go away to make that happen." She lifted her head to meet Sam's gaze. "I may have to leave again. I have a lead."

-"What is it?"

-"I don't want to get your hopes up. But suffice it to say things were a little too clean for this to be a crime of passion. And that is creating its own clues and leads."

Sam nodded her head. "You're using Spinelli?"

-"Not yet. But I promise if we need him, I will."

-"Are you using Dad?"

Alexis nodded. "Yes. Your father is exploring leads as well." She kept her explanation as curt as possible to avoid lying to her daughter outright.

-"Mom, I can help. We can strategize in here."

She smiled at her daughter. Even in a prison cell, she still had her fire. It didn't belong in a place as gray as Pentonville, and God—or Victor—willing, it wouldn't be contained there much longer. "I promise, as soon as I have a hypothesis we'll discuss it."

Sam nodded. "I'm just so frustrated."

-"I know sweetheart. I promise I'll get you home."

-"I'm scared, Mom. The evidence seems like nothing, but the police seem so sure. I can't believe they think I would do this."

-"Huh." Alexis thought back to her Floating Rib conversation with Dante and understood why Det. Nagy seemed so off to her. Clearly she was working for Victor. But Dante had said something else too—that Sam's case wasn't the only one she was working where concerns had been raised. What else was Victor up to?

-"Mom?…Mom!" Sam tried to bring her mother's attention back to her. Alexis appeared to snap out of it and raised an eyebrow in response. Sam looked at her curiously. "What is it? Where did you just go?"

-"It's the cops." Alexis had to carefully walk this line. "I don't entirely think they believe you did this." She started to rattle off some of her reasons. "They waited a few days to execute the warrant. Dante doesn't seem to be on board with the idea that you did this in a crime of passion. Even Anna's heart doesn't seem like it's in it." She smiled at her daughter as she reached for her hand. "I'm trying to say, it's not hopeless, Sam. They're still looking elsewhere…I have a really good feeling about this, and you should, too."

-"I thought you didn't want to get my hopes up?" She smirked before mumbling under her breath, "I wouldn't worry about that happening."

-"Now that's enough of that." Alexis's tone was sharper than she intended. "You've been in here fewer than 48 hours. All you have right now is hope. So get that PI brain of yours working." Alexis looked at her watch. She was cutting it close to make her meeting with Victor.

Sam noticed the signs of imminent departure and asked sadly, "You're leaving me already?"

-"I am." Alexis came around the table to grab her face and kiss her forehead. She absently wiped the smudge of lipstick she'd left behind. "I have a flight to catch to New York. I should be back late tomorrow, and I promise I'll spend as much time with Danny as possible. And if we're lucky…well, you'll be home soon to join him."

-"OK." Sam tried to inject strength into her voice. Her mother was right—it was too soon to give up hope. She needed to focus on what was driving her—her anger—and not the frustration that was thwarting her. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

-"I'll try. If not, then definitely the next day. Good bye, sweetheart. I love you."

Sam looked at her mother before the guard appeared to take her back to her cell. There was something her mother wasn't telling her, and Sam had let it go, too tired to wrestle it out of her. She'd rest up and take her shot at Alexis during her next visit.

* * *

><p>Alexis arrived at Wyndemere with plenty of time to spare. She'd rehearsed her proposal in her head during the short launch trip, trying to orchestrate how she would use Victor's extreme narcissism to her advantage. There was only one possible solution she could think of to free both Sam and Spencer, except Alexandra wasn't clever enough to devise it. If the clues she'd left in her motel room didn't do the trick, she needed to lead Victor there without him realizing her purpose. She spent time pacing the docks rehearsing, unworried that her uncle's eyes were on her. Alexis would appear nervous to anyone following her which is what Victor expected. With a final glimpse at her watch, she turned and pulled her shoulders back in a gesture of false bravado. Time to put her gatekeeping skills to the test.<p>

Victor placed a glass of Chardonnay in front of her over her initial objections: "This is a conversation between family, Alexandra. There is no reason this needs to be hostile. Sharing a glass of wine together is what separates us from the animals." She watched him sip it first, a move he apparently noticed. "Now really, Alexandra. Why would I poison you before we even begin negotiating? How does that get me what I want?"

-"You may have decided this 'negotiation' is more trouble than it's worth. Now that Nikolas is dead and it was an accident, killing me doesn't involve the same level of risk."

He considered her carefully. "True. But it is entirely possible you intend to propose something that makes you more valuable to me alive." He put his glass down and looked at her coldly. "Are you?"

She avoided his gaze immediately, fearing he'd see the anger in her eyes and wanting to appear cowed. "I hope so," she whispered. Alexis looked at him and realized she was coming off as too meek. Alexandra needed to come off as decisive enough to be valuable but non-threatening. A shy mouse had no value at all.

Alexis stood, her voice more confident. "I do have a proposal, Uncle. One I think satisfies your need for money without leaving you stuck with an eight-year old to rear."

-"I'm listening."

-"You need money. Cassadine Industries has a lot of it. My proposal is to invest in you, Uncle. Using Cassadine funds."

He smirked at her. "Continue."

-"We establish a small investment company in the Caymans. We provide the seed capital to invest in small start-up companies."

-"Why would I want to invest in small start-up companies."

-"Because they're not actual companies. They're your bank accounts that don't have your name tied to them."

Victor nodded. "And why would we do this?"

-"It's a new business line we start in honor of Nikolas. We market it that way to the executive leadership. I run it on behalf of the estate, so I'm the only one who sees the money going out…and in theory coming in."

-"Won't there be questions, Alexandra? Won't people wonder where the money has gone?"

-"Investing in start ups is notoriously risky. Most small companies don't make it. The company will write off the loss, and I'll play on the guilt of Nikolas's passing to stifle any questions we may receive." She changed her tone to ease his concerns. "We pitch it as investing in ideas. And of course I'll invest in one or two that are legitimate. But you let me worry about that."

-"And none of this is traceable to me?"

-"No." Alexis pulled a proposal out of her bag. "This is roughly how it would work. I believe we could get you twice as much as the trust."

Victor idly flipped through the pages in front of him, distracted by the questions forming in his head.

-"But who would run the company then? Can we trust the new CEO?"

Alexis took time outlining Nikolas's succession plan. "He made sure that Cassadine Industries would continue to thrive in his absence, ensuring the family's success and Spencer's future inheritance. Plus, he knows me. He trusts me."

-"But wouldn't it be better left in the hands of family, Alexandra?" Alexis didn't know whether to feel relieved or panicked by his line of questions. Clearly Victor had put the pieces together, but her mouth was dry at the thought of actually going through with it.

She pulled her head back into the conversation. "Are you suggesting you run Cassadine Industries, Uncle? I thought you had rejected that idea. Why is it suddenly safe?"

-"It's not safe for me to run Cassadine Industries, Alexandra. At least where everyone can see me. It is, however, safe for you to run it."

Alexis shook her head in confusion, "Me? Why would I run Cassadine Industries?"

-"Because you loved Nikolas passionately. Because his passing and his orphaned son have reminded you how important legacy and family are. Because you're Mikkos Cassadine's last surviving child and your family is relying on you in its time of need. Pick one, Alexandra."

-"You misunderstand me, Uncle. I'm not asking what we're putting in the press release or telling the executive committee. I'm asking you: what good does it do *you* if I'm running Cassadine Industries?"

-"You're the figurehead, my dear. *I'm* running Cassadine Industries." Victor pulled a document from his desk and plopped it on the settee next to her. "Counter-proposal."

Alexis sat and read his plan, recognizing the path formed with the breadcrumbs she had left scattered in her motel room the night before. As she read, he briefly verbalized the key points. "You, Alexandra, would serve as the CEO of Cassadine Industries. Representing the company in board meetings, in the press, at social functions. Most importantly, you'll sign off on any decisions I make. Or should I say *you* make. All you need to do is sign your name where I tell you."

She knew he was expecting her to protest, so she did. "What you're proposing…it won't work. The executives would never buy it. I've never expressed an interest in running the company. This change from Nikolas's vision…I mean, I'm not even qualified. No one would believe I suddenly would take this on."

-"You're selling yourself short, my dear. Everyone knows Stefan trusted you implicitly as did Nikolas. You've been involved intimately in the dealings of the company for years. How many calls did you get once Nikolas died?"

Alexis didn't have a hard time imbuing desperation in her voice. She knew she needed to argue against the proposal for Victor to believe it wasn't her idea, and it was coming easier than she thought it would. "You know I had a lot of calls because he was incapacitated. From a legal perspective…"

Victor cut her off sharply. "No one will question that a child of Mikkos Cassadine would try and seize power when it was available. Not even a bastard...and I say that without intending any offense."

-"None taken," she replied bitterly.

-"Plus, you will change your name to show your commitment. It would need to be total, Alexandra. Or should I say *Natasha*" He pulled out another legal document for her. "Natasha Alexandra Mikkosovna Cassadine was born the day that Nikolas Cassadine died." She looked at the document he handed her: it would legally change her name to what should have been hers at birth.

-"I can't."

His tone became harsh. "You can. And you will. Or Samantha rots in jail for the rest of her natural life, Alexandra." He went back to his chair. "You will serve as CEO to Cassadine industries, you will live at the family compound and serve as the head of the family. And you will do everything I tell you."

She started to breathe erratically. "I won't live on that Island."

-"You will." He looked at her contemplatively. "It has occurred to me, Alexandra, that perhaps you underestimate my willingness to punish you for disobedience."

Alexis quickly met his eyes with her own. "What do you mean?"

-"Where is Mr. Jerome?"

Her eyes grew wide in surprise and fear. "I don't know."

He smiled coldly. "I'm going to ask you one more time, Alexandra. And I suggest you don't lie to me this time. I repeat: where is Mr. Jerome."

-"Asia. He had business in Asia." Her eyes started to fill with tears. "He went to the Philippines on business."

-"Well, he started in the Philippines. But two nights ago he had a business meeting with a new investor in Jakarta."

Alexis closed her eyes. "He was going to see if his business was the reason Sam was being framed."

-"A noble pursuit. He really had all the makings of a great father. Unfortunately, his investor betrayed him and his boss. I'm afraid there were a number of casualties, Alexandra."

Her head started to spin, and her throat constricted. Alexis stood and moved to the pitcher of water on the bar. She just needed a drink so she could breathe again and collect her thoughts. Alexis took two steps and then everything went black.


	34. Chapter 34

The acrid smell forced her eyes open, and Alexis found herself laying on the settee, Alfred and Victor hovering over her. The pit in her stomach overwhelmed her momentary confusion. As she struggled to make sense of the last few minutes of her conversation with Victor, her uncle offered her a glass of water. She took a sip as he dismissed Alfred from the room.

-"Now, Alexandra. Where were we?" Alexis reflexively put the glass back to her lips and drank deeply, hoping to delay any official confirmation of her fears. But Victor's patience was wearing thin, and he prodded, "Alexandra?"

Alexis felt tears well in her eyes and start to run down her cheeks. "We were in Indonesia. You said…" She stopped mid-sentence as a sharp sob cut through her. "You said Julian was betrayed by a contact."

-"He was. I'm afraid, Alexandra, that your reliance on the gentleman was intolerable and threatened our future plans. My choices were limited. I'm sorry." He raised his voice over the sound of his niece's moans. "Are you alright, dear? Do you need more water?"

She had moved to outright hysterics, doubled-over where she sat. Alexis began gasping for breath as Victor attempted to calm her. "Alexandra," he soothed. "Alexandra, you need to calm down. You need to focus on what's important right now: Samantha and Spencer. You need to see that I'm serious."

Alexis tried to respond but she couldn't breathe. Her entire chest felt like it was cleaved open, yet she was suffocating. She wanted to claw Victor's face; she wanted to curl into a ball and die. This was her fault: Sam, Julian, Ric, Nikolas…*her* family did this. If she just removed herself from the equation…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the tinny taste of her inhaler that Victor forcefully shoved in her mouth. She instinctively took a breath as her uncle released the medicine, and her lungs felt clearer, but the weight on her chest remained.

-"Well. That was instructive," Victor murmured to himself. "I suppose that you and Mr. Jerome were not just friends then, Alexandra?"

Alexis slowly shook her head, as she stared across the room to the desk where Stefan once sat. She closed her eyes and envisioned him there, taunting her into playing a game of chess. Alexis would acquiesce because it made Stefan happy; but she never liked the game itself and hadn't played since he died. She didn't want to play it now. The requisite energy to engage was gone, and she turned to her uncle utterly defeated. "What do you want? What do you need me to sign?"

-"I want us to be clear on our terms, Alexandra. You run Cassadine Industries in your name but on my behalf. You take the mantle of the family and all that entails. And as a reward, I'll see that charges against Samantha are dropped…"

-"…which charges?" Alexis cut in dully.

-"The murder charges. And the trespassing charges at Crichton Clark."

-"Any charges. If any of my daughters go to jail or die, the deal is off." Her voice was devoid of emotion.

-"Of course. And as for Spencer…"

-"He is raised by Dante and Lulu. He gets to keep the trust."

Victor looked at his niece. His face seemed troubled by her demeanor, but she didn't care. "Alexandra, I would have hoped you'd be more excited about the prospect of our deal. You get what you want, and I get what I want."

-"You think this is what I want?" She choked. "I want Nikolas alive. I want my daughters and Spencer to be free to live their lives without being punished because of who their parents are." She paused as a tear escaped. "I want Julian back."

-"Ugh." Victor looked at her in disgust. "You want a mobster back, Alexandra? A brute who lacks your intellect. A man with a penchant for violence who is clumsy in its execution. I'm doing you a favor."

-"I don't want your favors."

Victor looked at her. "This has been disappointing, yet illuminating." His voice turned contemplative, "Once we seal our particular pact, Alexandra, I have no real leverage to hold over you. Samantha is freed, Spencer is freed…what guarantees do I have that you'll stay in line?"

Alexis answered quietly, "Considering how frequently you've threatened my children with death—and how you went to great lengths to show me you were serious—I think you've got me well in hand."

-"But deaths are messy, Alexandra. And final. Once that lever is pulled it goes away forever."

She choked back a sob and stated meekly, "I don't know what you want from me."

He stood and spoke sharply. "I want you to act like the head of the family. I want you to act like Mikkos's daughter. I want you to remember there are huge stakes involved Alexandra and respond accordingly."

Alexis swallowed and stood, somewhat unsteady on her feet. Her voice started small but built into a steady crescendo. "And I want *you* to remember that the fear you rely on to control me has side effects you may not like so much. Like loving others. Fearing for their safety. And mourning their passing." Her eyes were blazing, and she caught herself when she saw that Victor was smiling at her.

-"Well done, Alexandra."

-"Excuse me?"

Victor beamed at his niece. "You had me worried that you wouldn't have the strength or energy to move forward. For this to work, Alexandra, we need your fire. You'll be challenged…by the press, by other branches of the family, by the Spencers, by the executives you'll be replacing…yes, Alexandra. I think you'll do just fine."

She sank to the couch. "This fire you seem to love so much is easily extinguished, Uncle. You would do well to remember that."

-"Well, I don't think I appreciate your tone, Alexandra, but I will chalk that up to the stress of the last 24 hours." He stood to pour himself a glass of wine. "May I interest you in another glass?"

-"No thank you," she whispered.

-"You are missing out, Alexandra." He raised his glass to her. "To successfully agreeing to the terms of our first deal and negotiating our second."

-"What do you mean, 'second'?"

Victor spoke impatiently. "Were you not listening? We have yet to negotiate your continued compliance with our original terms." He glanced at his panicked niece. "Now, now, Alexandra. There is no need to worry. Simply comply with the terms of our agreement, and nothing untoward shall come to pass."

-"So you get my compliance. I'm the head of the family. I do everything you want…in exchange for what? What are you planning to hold over my head? My family's head?"

He smiled. "Well, Alexandra. I don't think this is going to be nearly as painful as you do. First, I have a gift for you."

-"A gift? You're too generous, Uncle."

Ignoring the bitterness in her voice, he noted, "I am, aren't I?" He looked at her smugly. "I do think you'll like this, Alexandra."

She arched an eyebrow dubiously. "Continue, please."

-"First, I will need to correct a gross assumption you made earlier. I must apologize, Alexandra, for any distress it caused you. I needed to see how valuable all the pieces on the board are. And I was unsure of the value of Mr. Jerome. Now I realize his true worth."

Her knuckles white, Alexis gripped the side of the settee to hold her position steady. "What assumption?"

-"That Mr. Jerome is dead."

Alexis felt like she was punched in the gut. "He's not dead? Julian's alive?"

-"Of course. I told you once you pull that lever, it's gone forever."

-"Oh my God," Alexis put her face in her hands and cried again, only this time they were tears of relief.

-"That doesn't sound like gratitude, Alexandra."

Victor had wasted a golden opportunity, for Alexis was so happy she would have agreed to anything, yet all he asked for was a thank you. "Thank you, Uncle. Thank you."

He smiled at her benevolently, "You're welcome, my dear. Of course, since he's alive, he is now a lever I can use."

Alexis was so relieved at Julian's resurrection that she forgot it could be weaponized. "How? How is he a lever?"

-"You see, Alexandra, Mr. Jerome has been living a precarious existence. He's been lying to you about the identity of his boss, and he's been lying to his boss about his willingness to comply with his wishes. It makes for a very ineffective soldier in the types of wars in which he engages."

In revealing to Alexis that he was unaware that she knew the true identity of Julian's boss, Victor revealed conversations in the penthouse somehow hadn't been monitored. She quickly inventoried all the information she and Julian shared and where they shared it. "What do you mean he's been lying to me?"

-"I think I'll let him tell you. I'm curious as to the story he reveals, anyway."

-"OK. He's lying. I grew up a Cassadine, I'm used to it. What do you have on him?"

Victor smiled at her, "Patience, dear. Sometimes the telling of the story is what makes the end worthwhile."

Rebuked, Alexis apologized, "I'm sorry, Uncle. Please continue."

-"It seems that Mr. Jerome has teamed up with one of our family's enemies, Alexandra." His eyes narrowed as he murmured, "though I will say *not* one of yours." Victor shook off the flash of betrayal he felt and continued. "It turns out that Mr. Jerome's boss had grown tired of his disengagement from his work, and had decided to terminate him. It so happens that a new investment deal provided his boss with the perfect opportunity. Part of our business arrangement included that Mr. Jerome wouldn't leave our meeting in Jakarta alive."

-"So you saved him?"

He smiled. "That's such a delightfully childish way to put it. I suppose I did. As I mentioned earlier, he has no value to me if he's dead."

-"Of course," Alexis nodded deferentially.

-"And this is again where the gods have smiled upon me, Alexandra. Here I was, provided with an opportunity to gain leverage for our future endeavors and remove an enemy who could thwart my chances of success."

Alexis was confused. "But I thought you said Julian wasn't an enemy."

-"He's not. But his boss is. Or was. My leverage, Alexandra, is that there was a massacre in Jakarta that yielded one survivor. That survivor was your Mr. Jerome. One of the victims was shot in the head with a .22 that belonged to your Samantha. Video will corroborate that he was murdered by the sole survivor, Julian Jerome. He's not so much the survivor as he is the chief suspect."

-"And of course you have the gun and the video?" Alexis asked knowingly.

-"Yes."

-"But once he leaves Jakarta, who will care? Who would tie him to it?"

-"Ahhh," Victor nodded. "An excellent question. You see, Alexandra, Mr. Jerome's boss has many ties to Port Charles." He looked at her coldly. "I promised you I would punish you Alexandra. And I have. The gods gave me the opportunity to show you my strength, eliminate an enemy, and hold you to my will in one fell swoop."

Her voice was soft, "How…how have you punished me, Uncle? For whose murder have you framed Julian and implicated Sam?"

-"Luke Spencer's," he said excitedly, his voice filled with self-congratulations.

Alexis's surprised face seemed to delight her uncle. But underneath her look of shock was a feeling of victory. The crazy bastard killed John Richter—he didn't know Luke Spencer was being held in a psychiatric facility against his will. Victor had taken away her second biggest problem and left her with a weapon of her own: a vindictive Luke Spencer. Now she had the freedom to focus all her attention on her uncle's destruction, and she worked hard to dim that little ray of hope's glow from her eyes.

-"Luke Spencer is dead," she said numbly.

-"Indeed," Victor responded finality, bored of the topic. "Come dear, it's gotten late. It's time for us to dine together and seal our agreement."

She worked hard to seem humbled in his presence. "Of course."

-"And I know I gave you a choice, but I woke up today with no taste for tenderloin. I felt more like duck. I do hope you'll forgive me."

* * *

><p>Alexis manically paced her room at Wyndemere, trying to use whatever energy she had left to recap her situation. Her current status was slightly above "completely fucked." She and Victor had negotiated throughout the meal. New suspects would appear in the Clays' murders tomorrow with evidence that would guarantee Sam's freedom by the end of the week. Spencer would live primarily with Dante and Lulu, although he would be required to spend two weeks of his summers on Cassadine Island with her. Fortunately, she was able to convincingly talk Victor out of full-time residence at Cassadine Island; she negotiated three months a year there while she would spend the rest of her time at Wyndemere. The notion that Alexis would completely abandon her children was a lie too large to be believable, and Victor saw the wisdom in changing this demand. Plus on some level it made him feel the magnanimous overlord, granting mercy to his newest peon.<p>

God she despised him.

She was able to eke out some other concessions. Obviously Julian was still alive—thank God—but Victor demanded their relationship end. Alexis was able to convince Victor that Julian would never believe she left him unless he lied to her again. Victor gave her one week to end it in a way so Julian would truly believe they were over. It would be hard but she could do it—the Ric lie was enough to push him away if she played it right. Her heart pounded at the thought of living without him, but Victor had made it easier. She knew what it felt like to know Julian was dead. Lying to him to save him would be a walk in the park compared to that pain.

Her immediate problem was Luke Spencer. She needed him safe—she loved her friend. But she needed him hidden to use against Victor later. How to do it?

And then her girls and Danny: she needed Victor away from them, especially Molly. She didn't know how she was going to do this yet. Alexis needed to drive a wedge between her and her daughters: their curiosity, stubbornness and independence were traits she cherished and nurtured, but now they could bring all of them down.

Her mind spinning she collapsed onto her bed. She was exhausted. The last 48 hours capped weeks of emotional chaos and her body was giving out. She needed to rest because in one week, she was going to have her press conference where she renounced Alexis Davis and assumed Natasha Cassadine. And that was going to take all the strength she had.

Tonight she would sleep and tomorrow she would start to dismantle the world of her sadistic uncle. He wanted her to be Mikkos's daughter: he would bitterly regret that wish.


End file.
